Jarryd Hayne victim breaks her silence after sexual assault verdict

Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne’s sexual assault victim has revealed she is “not the same person” she was before the 2018 incident and two court trials that followed.

Jarryd Hayne’s sexual assault victim has said she is “not the same person” she was before the 2018 incident and the two court trials that followed.

The young woman — who cannot legally be named — had to wait more than two-and-a-half years before she was last week delivered justice by a NSW District Court jury.

Hayne, 33, was found guilty on two counts of having sexual intercourse without consent in an incident that occurred at the woman’s home on NRL Grand Final night in September 2018.

In the aftermath of the guilty verdict, the 28-year-old woman took to Facebook and made reference to the tumultuous last few years as being like surviving through a “storm”.

Former NRL superstar Jarryd Hayne outside the Downing Centre in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive,” she wrote.

“You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over.

“But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.”

The words are taken from a famous piece originally written by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.

NSW Police last week praised the woman for her bravery, commending her for continuing to pursue Hayne through the courts despite requiring a retrial.

The Saturday Telegraph reported a major part of the woman’s decision to push ahead with charges against Hayne was her determination for it not to happen to anyone else.

Hayne claimed he was innocent from the outset and pleaded not-guilty to all three charges.

Pictures from a video taken by the woman showing blood on her bed after the assault.

The aftermath of the 2018 assualt.

While he was guilty of two offences, the jury found him not guilty of the most serious charge — aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.

Hayne told reporters outside court last week he would “definitely” appeal the verdict.

“I’d rather go to jail knowing I spoke the truth than be a free man living a lie,” he said.

“I’ve shown it from the start, It’s unfortunate, it’s disappointing. But at the end of the day they’ve come to the decision. I respect that.”

Hayne barely reacted as the verdict was read out by the jury, nodding twice and then looking over towards his supporters in the courtroom.

Jarryd Hayne on the field for the Parramatta Eels. Picture: AAP

Jarryd Hayne in the US for the San Francisco 49ers. Picture: Getty

Crown Prosecutor Brian Costello applied to have the former pin-up boy taken into custody immediately.

But while Judge Helen Syme said a jail sentence was “inevitable”, she granted him bail on the condition he pay a $50,000 surety.

Hayne will face Newcastle District Court for a sentencing hearing on May 6.