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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Margaret Scheikowski and Greta Stonehouse

Jarryd Hayne wins rape case appeal

UPDATE: Jarryd Hayne could be freed from prison as he awaits a third trial, with the former NRL star to apply for bail after a NSW court quashed his rape convictions upon appeal.

The 33-year-old has spent nine months behind bars, after he was found guilty of two charges of sexual assault without consent of a woman in her NSW Hunter bedroom on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.

The ex-Parramatta player faced a retrial after his first ended with a hung jury.

He was jailed in May for five years and nine months with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.

But after his barrister Tim Game SC successfully argued two appeal grounds, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday ordered another trial and quashed his convictions.

Hayne will now apply for bail at a hearing listed at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court at 10am on Tuesday.

His barrister Tim Game SC successfully argued the jury was given "profoundly wrong" legal directions, saying Justice Helen Syme's directions of law were "flawed in almost every possible way".

Prosecutor Brett Hatfield had previously admitted the language could have been tighter, but said "perfection is not required".

Mr Game also succeeded in convincing the appeal court it was an error to overrule a verdict from the first trial in relation to evidence he said explained the complainant's "abiding interest in having sex with Jarryd Hayne".

Another two appeal grounds were dismissed.

Mr Game had argued an outburst from the woman in the first trial, in which she yelled "no means no" under cross-examination, being played before his second jury was "highly prejudicial".

He also argued the jury's verdict was unreasonable.

The Crown contended in both trials that Hayne had left his friend's bucks party to meet up with the woman and forcibly performed oral and digital sexual intercourse on her, causing her to bleed from her genitalia.

Jailed former NRL star Jarryd Hayne was found guilty of two charges of sexual assault. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

EARLIER: Jailed former NRL star Jarryd Hayne's sexual assault convictions have been quashed and a third trial has been ordered.

The 33-year-old was found guilty of two charges of sexual assault without consent of a woman in her NSW Hunter bedroom on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.

The ex-Parramatta player faced a retrial after his first ended with a hung jury.

He was jailed in May for five years and nine months with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.

The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday ordered another trial, after quashing his convictions.

His barrister Tim Game SC put forward four appeal grounds including contending the jury was given "profoundly wrong" legal directions.

Justice Helen Syme's directions of law were "flawed in almost every possible way", he argued.

While prosecutor Brett Hatfield admitted the language could have been tighter, he said "perfection is not required".

Another ground was the overruling of evidence admitted into the first trial, which Mr Game said explained the complainant's state of mind in her "abiding interest in having sex with Jarryd Hayne".

He also disputed a "highly prejudicial" outburst from the woman in the first trial when she yelled "no means no" under cross-examination, played before his second jury and likely to bring about a "very sympathetic response".

But the Crown argued the woman appeared very deflated and flat directly after this exchange, and her monotone responses would be incongruent without viewing the preceding moments.

Both trials were told Hayne had left his friend's bucks party to meet up with the woman and forcibly performed oral and digital sexual intercourse on her.

"I do not accept the offender did not know or did not hear the victim telling him she did not want to have sex with him," Judge Syme said.

Chief Justice Tom Bathurst and Justices Helen Wilson and Ian Harrison are to publish the reasons for their appeal decision on Monday.

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