After nearly five years, three trials and a previous short stint behind bars Jarryd Hayne has been sentenced today for sexually assaulting a woman in Newcastle on NRL Grand Final night in 2018.
The disgraced NRL player was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent by a jury in the District Court last month.
Hayne has been handed a maximum sentence of four years and nine months at Sydney’s Downing Court.
It is less severe than Hayne’s previous five year and nine month sentence, of which he served nine months before successfully appealing to have his initial conviction quashed in 2022.
Following the guilty verdict in the most recent trial, Hayne’s bail was revoked in the NSW Supreme Court and he has spent the last month behind bars awaiting sentencing.
In delivering the decision today, Judge Graham Turnbull took several factors into account including time served, the lack of a criminal record and suggested Hayne poses little risk of reoffending.
It is understood Hayne will not be able to be housed among the general prison population because of his profile.
The 35-year-old will be eligible for parole as early as May 6, 2025.
Image: Sydney Morning Herald