- Jarryd Hayne will appeal conviction for rape later this year
- NRL star was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent
- His barrister argued verdict was ‘unreasonable and unjustifiable’
Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne will return to court later this year to appeal his conviction for raping a woman in her home on Grand Final night more than five years ago.
The two-time Dally M winner was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman at her Newcastle home following a high-profile trial in the NSW District Court last year.
He was sentenced to four years and nine months behind bars over the attack, but he will be eligible for parole in May next year due to time already served in custody.
His barrister Margaret Cunneen SC argued the guilty verdict was ‘unreasonable and unjustifiable’ and ‘not supported by evidence’.
Hayne’s solicitor Phoebe MacDougall appeared in the Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday to set a date for the appeal to be heard.
Jarryd Hayne will return to court this year to appeal his conviction for rape
Hayne’s barrister argued the guilty verdict was ‘unreasonable and unjustifiable’ and ‘not supported by evidence’ (pictured, Hayne playing for Parramatta)
She told the court the Parramatta Eels star is appealing his conviction based on evidence that arose during the trial.
Registrar George Galanis set the appeal hearing for April 3.
The court heard Hayne will dial into the courtroom via audiovisual link for the appeal hearing, which is expected to take four hours.
The appeal marks Hayne’s second bid to quash his rape conviction in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The former American football player has faced three trials over the 2018 rape, with the first ending with the jury being unable to reach a unanimous verdict in 2020.
The disgraced NRL star (picured outside court with his wife Amellia Bonnici) was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent
He was found guilty and convicted of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent after a second trial in March 2021.
The former fullback was sentenced to five years and nine months prison, which he successfully appealed in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The court ordered a retrial in 2023, which resulted in a jury returning a guilty verdict for two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Hayne hopes his conviction will be quashed a second time when he returns to the state’s highest court later this year.
