Bipin Dani
Danushka Gunathilalake’s worried family members in Sri Lanka are being consoled by his lawyers. The 31-year-old all-rounder who was a member of the visiting Sri Lankan T-20 World Cup team in Australia is being charged for alleged sexual assault.
“We have spoken to Danushka’s mother and his brother-in-law (sister’s husband) (in Sri Lanka) for about an hour and have tried to console them”, Attorney Dr. Chanaka Senanayake, the former Head of legal : Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and a legal practitioner in Australia and Sri Lanka, said over the telephone from Colombo.
“Obviously they are worried and we have tried to pacify them and have asked them to keep faith in God”, Senanayake added. In fact, Senanayake, who now is in Sri Lanka also coordinated family members’ talks with Danushka’s lawyer Ananda Amaranath with whom he worked in Australia.
“Danushka is self isolated in custody for ten days in Australia but he is being well-looked after with proper meals and basic necessities. Facilities to the jail persons in Australia are best. He may be allowed to call his family members after a period of ten days or so”.
“Within two days, the lawyers will be filing the second bail application in court. This time, the request will be the case to be heard by another magistrate. Will move the Supreme Court,if the second bail application is rejected”.
The first bail application was rejected by magistrate Robert Williams. Attorney Dr. Chanaka Senanayake, who insisted he was not talking on behalf of the SLC, said, “Danushka is innocent. There are several discrepancies related to the charges. It is wrong to say that the intercourse was against the wish of the lady. Danushka used condon or not is immaterial but it is wrong to assdume that the sex, if Danushka had with the girl was forceful”.
