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A smiling Jarryd Hayne pleaded for rehabilitation as he thanked the “guys on the inside” after his rape charges were officially dropped, ending a nearly six-year legal battle that included two convictions.
Prosecutors today told the court they would no longer press charges of sexual assault against the former NRL star, ending the possibility of him facing a fourth trial over the charges.
The 36-year-old had convictions on two counts of rape overturned by an appeals court earlier in June.
But Hayne still faces a civil lawsuit filed by the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her, with a hearing date set for late July.
Today, the former star full-back walked free from Sydney’s Downing Center court without a criminal charge hanging over his head for the first time since 2018.
“I’ve stayed true to myself the whole time, this whole process,” a visibly relieved Hayne told reporters outside court.
“Today is a vindication for me, my family and my loved ones.
“I thank God for keeping me healthy this season.
Hein said the trial was difficult not only for him, but also for his wife, who appeared in court with him.
“What she had to go through was tough,” Hein said.
He described the process, going from rugby league royalty to convicted rapist, as a “roller coaster”.
“I just want to thank all those who have supported me since day one and stood by me, stood by me,” he said.
“The guys on the inside who stood by me, the friends on the outside and everyone who stood shoulder to shoulder with me.”
Hayne allegedly hand and mouth raped a woman at her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
A jury found him guilty in April 2023 and he was sentenced to a maximum of four years and nine months in prison.
But the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal overturned Hayne’s convictions on the basis that a judge had erred in not allowing the appellant to undergo further cross-examination during the trial.
He was released on bail following the court’s decision after spending more than a year behind bars.
Before today’s hearing, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said the decision not to proceed with a fourth trial was made in accordance with prosecutorial guidelines, without disclosing specific reasons for the decision.
“The record will reflect that the Crown has dropped any and all proceedings against Mr. Hayne,” Justice Craig Everson told the court today.
In three separate criminal trials, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was told that she changed her mind about having sex with Hein after realizing there was a taxi waiting outside her house.
The former NRL player’s lawyer, Tim Game SC, told a hearing in April that the woman had deleted messages between herself and Hayne that showed she had initially shown a sexual interest in him.
His defense team also argued the woman should have been cross-examined about why she told police: “If these messages get out, I’m screwed and he’s gone.”
Judge Graham Turnbull, who oversaw Hayne’s third trial, refused requests for the woman to be cross-examined about the statement, saying it carried “almost infinitesimal weight”.
Hayne’s overturned convictions followed a jury verdict in his first trial in 2020 and a previous appeal overturning a 2021 conviction from his second trial.
The 36-year-old played 11 games for Australia and 23 games for the NSW State of Origin team in a career that also included a stint with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL.
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