Fake Rumors went viral as Maxwell visited Dhanushka in prison to offer his support!

Soon after Dhanushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney Australia, over sexual assault allegations, the details of the incident have been viral in local as well as international media. Social media was also abuzz with bizarre claims linked to the incident and our investigation found the rumours of Glenn Maxwell visiting Dhanushka in jail to be yet another one of such fake rumours.

What is the Claim?

Viral social media posts claimed that the star Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell visited Danushka Gunathilaka in jail to show his support, over the sexual assault allegations levelled against him. It was also claimed that Maxwell had tried to apologise to Dhanushka and reconcile the incident.

Facebook | Archived Link

This news was also published on a Sri Lankan website. You can read it here. Archived Link

Due to several requests we received regarding the accuracy of these posts, we checked the facts.

Fact Check

Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed on Sunday (November 6) that Danushka Gunathilaka had been arrested in Sydney for alleged sexual assault. On Saturday, 5 November 2022, detectives from the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad and Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced a joint investigation under Strike Force Veteran following reports that a 29-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted at a residence in Rose Bay earlier this week, NSW police said. It was also claimed that the woman had met Dhanushka via an online dating application. It's alleged that the Sri Lankan cricketer had sexually assaulted the woman on Wednesday, 2 November 2022. Published reports on this here and here.

However, no international news had reported that Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell had gone to the Sydney City Police to inquire about Danushka Gunathilaka's well-being, and we noticed that not a single Australian mainstream media had reported on this.

Our attention was drawn to whether Maxwell had made such a statement through his official social media networks. Our investigation confirmed that he had not released any such note, video, or information either.

Also, we contacted Azam Amin, a journalist from Sri Lanka who is currently staying in Australia, who went to report on the 2022 T20 World Cup cricket tournament, and he confirmed that false information is circulating on social media that Maxwell visited Dhanushka Gunathilaka in prison and such an incident did not happen.

Current situation

According to the police statement, Gunathilaka was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The Sri Lankan national was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court via AVL today.

A bail application was made on Monday behind closed doors in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court after a police prosecutor successfully requested a series of interim orders, including suppressions and an order to close the courtroom.

Before the court was closed, Mr Gunathilaka appeared wearing a grey T-shirt via audio-visual link. Such reports can be reached from here and here.

Defence lawyer Ananda Amaranath later said the bail application was unsuccessful and that he would take the matter to the NSW Supreme Court as soon as possible.

"He'll be disappointed, clearly," Mr Amaranath said outside court.

"It's often difficult to predict outcomes of matters, and it's not in my hands.

" I always advise all my clients and equally to him. I told him the same thing: I cannot guarantee that he will be released on bail."

Foreign media reported yesterday that Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka is being moved to Sydney’s Silverwater Prison after being refused bail on rape charges.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)

“The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend national player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and will not consider him for any selections after being informed that Mr Gunathilaka was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a woman in Australia,” SLC said in a media release.

“Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take the necessary steps to inquire into the alleged offence promptly, and, upon conclusion of the court above case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalise the said player if found guilty,” it added. More on this here. Archived Link

Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed a three-member investigation panel to probe the alleged incident involving top order batter Danushka Gunathilaka.

The committee consists of Justice Sisira Ratnayake, attorneys-at-Law Niroshana Perera, and Asela Rekawa.

Conclusion

Our investigation shows that the posts circulating on social media stating that Australian player Glenn Maxwell had visited the Sri Lankan cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka in prison to inquire about his well-being and offered to provide his fullest support to resolve the case were just a fabricated story. None of the international media streams has reported such news. And there is no official report of Glenn Maxwell making such a statement, nor has it been posted on Maxwell's social channels either.