Jarryd Hayne rape trial: Texts and social media chats that helped convict him

These are the texts and social media chats that helped get Jarryd Hayne convicted of sexual assault and staring down the barrel of jail time.

“You are absolutely gorgeous”.

A Newcastle model sent that four-word Instagram message to ex-NRL star Jarryd Hayne days before he sexually assaulted her while a taxi meter ticked outside.

Throughout the next two weeks, the pair had flirty – even sexually suggestive – conversations ahead of meeting in person.

Judging by the verdict delivered today in the NSW District Court, in which Hayne was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, a jury has ruled those conversations did not in any way constitute consent for Hayne’s oral and penetrative sex acts on the woman after she had decided and communicated that sex was out of the question.

Following the assault, the victim texted words expressing confusion and sadness to Hayne and her best friend.

Jarryd Hayne arrives at the Downing Centre JMT on Monday. Picture: Nikki Short/NCA NewsWire

Eventually, she confronted Hayne with her allegations – causing him to shoot back defensively and blast them as “completely untrue”.

Those allegations have now been proven as facts, Hayne is staring down the barrel of jail time, and the contents of those messages from 4.5 years ago are laid bare below.

The exchanges – which were all presented to the jury throughout the 11-day trial – recount chats had in the lead up of September 30, on the night of the assault and in the days and weeks that followed.

Hayne arrives with his wife Amelia Bonnici and lawyer Margaret Cunneen. Picture: Nikki Short/NCA NewsWire

Lead-up to September 30, 2018

There had only been one fleeting exchange between the pair before they started messaging in the weeks before meeting, the court heard.

Back in 2017, the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, messaged “good luck” to Hayne on Instagram, regarding NRL.

A year later, she slid back into his DMs, writing, “You are absolutely gorgeous x.”

Later, the woman wrote, “I’m not going to lie … I imagined what it would be like to be f**king you when you started talking.”

Hayne responded “hahaha wow … very steamy” while she said “ha I’m sorry … I did but” and Hayne wrote “I like your honesty”.

Instagram mock-up messages between the victim and Hayne.

The woman wrote that she was “just having banter don’t worry” with a kiss symbol.

Later in the conversation, she wrote, “Although you could never put a price on me. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be hot as hell.”

The court had heard the victim sent Hayne photos of herself in her underwear at his request.

In the two days before the pair met on September 30, conversations continued while Hayne was at a bucks’ party in Newcastle. The court heard he sent the victim Snapchat videos of himself doing karaoke on the trip there from Sydney.

At 10.11pm on Saturday, September 29, the victim messaged Hayne asking if he would be in Newcastle the next night.

He responded, “Nah going back tomorrow.” The alleged victim asked, “Coffee in the morning?”

The court heard phone calls between the pair were exchanged – the contents of which Hayne could not remember – before the woman texted, “I’m seeing you tomorrow morning, coffee or breakfast, friends welcome – not”.

Hayne had told the court that the pair had exchanged numbers that night and their conversations moved from social media to text messages.

Day and night of the assault

On the Sunday morning, the woman texted Hayne to ask how he feeling and then wrote, “Where’s my coffee?”

Hayne told the woman he was returning to Sydney that day and they arranged for him to visit Fletcher, in Newcastle’s outer suburbs, on the Sunday night.

That night, the woman was horrifically violated.

She was assaulted by Hayne, who had performed oral and penetrative sex on her after she said she did not want sex. He left her bleeding and in pain – all while a taxi waited outside.

Following the assault, the woman texted Hayne, “I am hurting so much.”

Facebook mock-up messages between the victim and Hayne.

She continued, “I know I’ve talked about sex and stuff so much but I didn’t want to do that after knowing the taxi was waiting for you. I thought you would have at least stayed? I am hurting really badly … I’m sitting here in my room crying cause I feel weird.”

Hayne replied, “Go doctor tomorrow.”

On the same night, the woman confided in her best friend by texting that Hayne was “being really pushy” and she “kept saying no”.

Facebook mock-up messages between the victim and her friend.

She wrote, “The whole situation was weird … I didn’t want to do it, I said stop and stuff. I kind of let it go because he was so into it and pushy. I just feel like I’ve let it happen to myself by not screaming at him … I think he wanted to get the f**k out of here.”

After seeing photos of the injuries, her friend responded, “That’s like sliced everywhere.”

She also wrote, “If you kept saying no and now that’s happened, that’s rape.”

In response to a screenshot of Hayne’s “go doctor tomorrow” message, the best friend texted, “He didn’t even say sorry, just ‘go to doctor’ … he is a c**t.”

Snapchat mock-up messages between the victim and Hayne.

Days and weeks that followed

The court heard that weeks went by before the victim initiated a Snapchat exchange mid-November.

In it, she wrote, “You knew I definitely wasn’t OK from the damage that night … It was pretty messed up … you just left me that way. You should have just stopped when I said so.”

Hayne responded, “WTF are you on about? I stopped straight away and made sure you were OK.”

Later, he wrote, “That’s completely untrue! Everything we did you consented to. You’re starting to sound suss.”

Originally published as Jarryd Hayne rape trial: Texts and social media chats that helped convict him