Jury retires to consider verdict in Jarryd Hayne sexual assault trial

The jury in the sexual assault trial of NRL superstar Jarryd Hayne has retired to consider its verdict.

The jury in the sexual assault trial of Jarryd Hayne has retired to consider its verdict.

After a seven-day trial and on Wednesday morning hearing the directions of Judge Helen Syme, the jury of seven men and five women was sent out to consider the allegations against the NRL superstar.

Mr Hayne, 33, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the then 26-year-old woman at her home in Fletcher, NSW, on Newcastle’s outskirts, in September 2018.

Hayne has maintained that the woman was a willing sexual partner and denied her allegation that she repeatedly said “no” and “no Jarryd”.

Hayne travelled to Newcastle on September 29 for a two-day’s buck’s party for former Fijian teammate Wes Naiqama and spent more than 24 hours drinking and partying before taking a taxi to the woman’s house, which she shared with her mother.

The pair had communicated via social media for several weeks leading up to the incident; however, they had not met face-to-face prior to the evening of September 30 – the same night as the NRL grand final.

“I’m not gonna lie, I imagined what it would be like to be f***ing you when you started talking,” the woman said in a direct message to Mr Hayne on Instagram.

Jarryd Hayne arrives at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi.

He had organised to pay a taxi $550 to take him back to Sydney, where he was required to attend an event at Alexandria at midnight.

The woman – who cannot be named – told the court that she was unwilling to have sex with the two-time Dally M medallist after learning that he had a taxi waiting outside her house.

“Like my heart dropped because I felt like he had only come there for one thing,” she said.

“Like why would you get (the taxi driver) to wait outside for you for 20 minutes?

“I felt saddened because I felt like he must have only seen me in one type of way.”

She claims that Mr Hayne pulled off her jeans and despite repeatedly saying “no” and “no Jarryd”, he performed oral and digital sex on her, causing two lacerations to her genitalia and substantial bleeding.

Ex-NRL star Jarryd Hayne has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at her Newcastle home in September 2018. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi.

However, Mr Hayne has argued that while he knew she was not willing to have sexual intercourse, he described her as a willing participant in other sexual activities.

He denied the woman’s claim that she repeatedly resisted as he began kissing her, adding that she kissed him back.

“She never said no,” Mr Hayne said.

“None of that happened.”

Originally published as Jury retires to consider verdict in Jarryd Hayne sexual assault trial