The successful second appeal of sexual assault allegations against former NRL star Jarryd Hayne is the latest update in a near six-year legal saga.
Wednesday marked the 36-year-old’s third time standing trial over his alleged rape of a woman in her Newcastle home dating back to 2018.
Handing down the decision on Wednesday, the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Mr Hayne’s convictions of digital and oral sexual assault and ordered a new trial.
While the court ordered a new trial, the decision on whether the allegations against Mr Hayne will proceed to a fourth trial now falls to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Here are the key events that led to Wednesday’s conviction.
September 30, 2018: The night of the alleged sexual assault
Mr Hayne paid $550 for a taxi to drive him to Sydney following a buck’s weekend on September 30, 2018.
It’s alleged he had been speaking to the woman over Instagram for two weeks before their meeting.
He arrived at the woman’s home at 9.07pm and left 46 minutes later.
During that time it’s alleged he left the young woman in her room with blood on her bedspread and painful injuries to her vagina.
In graphic details told to the court, Mr Hayne allegedly forcibly kissed the woman and pushed her head into a pillow.
It’s alleged he then pulled off her jeans before sexually assaulting her despite the woman saying “no” and “stop”.
Mr Hayne claims the woman kissed him back and stood up before taking off her own pants.
November 19, 2018: Hayne arrested
After keeping the details of her alleged assault private for about a month, the woman makes her first statement with police on November 18.
What follows is an investigation that includes a walk-through of the complainant’s house with police, a consultation with Dr Maria Nittis, and tapped phone calls between Mr Hayne and NRL Integrity Unit chief investigator Karyn Murphy.
Mr Hayne is arrested at Ryde Police Station on November 19, 2018.
December 7, 2020: First trial ends in hung jury
Standing trial for two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, and recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm, Mr Hayne’s first trial results in a hung jury.
The jury of eight men and four women said they were unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict despite nearly two days of deliberation.
March 22, 2021: Hayne found guilty of sexual assault
Fronting his second trial in the NSW District Court, Mr Hayne again faced two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.
While he wasn’t found guilty of the original charge, he was found guilty of two alternative counts of sexual intercourse without consent, without the element of bodily harm.
February 14, 2022: Hayne wins first appeal
Mr Hayne successfully appeals his sexual assault convictions, with the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal ordering another retrial.
His lawyers successfully apply for bail and Mr Hayne was released from Cooma Correctional Centre.
May 12, 2023: Hayne convicted for the second time
Mr Hayne is convicted of digital and oral sexual assault and sentenced to four years and nine months behind bars. Prior to Wednesday’s appeal, he would have been eligible for parole in May 2025 due to time already served in custody.
April 3, 2024: Hayne fronts second appeal
Mr Hayne’s second appeals relied on three grounds – the first being the verdicts were unreasonable and not supported by evidence at trial, secondly, the trial judge erred in ruling the complainant did not have to give evidence about a 2021 interaction with the man she messaged the same day the jury found she was sexually assaulted in 2018, and lastly, that the judge’s ruling resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
The court rejected the first ground but upheld the second and third grounds.
During the appeal in April, his lawyer Tim Game SC argued that messages his alleged victim had deleted from her phone were key to acquitting the former star. He argued that concealed text and social media messages, which did not say the alleged rape was non-consensual, showed that the woman was consenting.
Mr Game said a miscarriage of justice had occurred when District Court Judge Graham Turnbull SC, ruled the defence could not cross-examine the witness on her deleted or undisclosed messages.
June 12, 2024: Hayne wins second appeal
Justice Stephen Rothman and Justice Deborah Sweeney upheld the appeal and quashed Mr Hayne’s convictions.
Beaming into the NSW Supreme Court on an audiovisual link wearing a prison-issued green tracksuit, Mr Hayne kept an impassive face and showed no reaction to the news that he had won his appeal.
It is likely he’ll be released from custody on Wednesday afternoon.