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Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has celebrated having his sexual assault convictions quashed with a night on the town in Sydney.
Hayne, 36, took to Facebook on Friday, posting images from two venues at Circular Quay.
In one of the images the Parramatta Eels great declared ‘life’s good.’
It comes after sexual assault charges were officially dropped this week, a court has been told – but Hayne still has a civil lawsuit hanging over his head.
Just days after the Director of Public Prosecutions announced they would not pursue a fourth trial against the former Parramatta and Gold Coast fullback, Hayne made a surprise appearance with his lawyers appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday.
Judge Craig Everson was told that the DPP had dropped two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Hayne has consistently denied the allegations and has twice had his conviction overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
He broke down in tears and said he ‘stayed true’ to himself as he thanked God and the people who had supported him during the long legal saga over the alleged attack.
Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has celebrated having his sexual assault convictions quashed with a night on the town in Sydney on Friday (pictured)
Hayne (pictured, playing for the Eels) has consistently denied the allegations and has twice had his conviction overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal
The former NSW Blues Origin winger also joked that he now looks more like a front rower after putting on weight in jail as he poured cold water on the possibility of returning to footy at age 36.
Hayne was released from prison earlier this month after having his convictions overturned.
He spent more than a year behind bars after a jury in April 2023 found him guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
The Officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions on Tuesday confirmed in a statement he would not face a fourth trial.
‘Yeah, obviously excited,’ Hayne said outside court, looking relieved as he exited alongside his barrister Margaret Cunneen SC and solicitor Lauren MacDougall.
‘I stayed true to myself the whole time, the whole process. It is a vindication for myself and my family and my loved ones.
‘I want to say thank you to all those that supported me from day one, stood by me and stood next to me.
‘It’s been a rollercoaster. The boys on the inside that stood by me, mates on the outside and everyone that stood shoulder to shoulder with me, I appreciate that.
‘Thinking about everyone that prayed for me, I thank God for keeping me safe, not only myself but my wife as well, what she had to go through.
An emotional Hayne made a surprise appearance at a Sydney court on Friday (pictured) as the sexual assault charges against him were officially dropped
The former Parramatta Eels star shed tears as he thanked God and his supporters before joking about how much his body has changed in jail as he cast doubt on the chances of him returning to footy after regaining his freedom
The 36-year-old (pictured outside court on Friday) said the dropping of the charges was ‘a vindication for myself and my family and my loved ones’
Hayne (pictured being released from jail earlier this month) spent more than a year behind bars after a jury found him guilty in a verdict that has since been overturned on appeal
‘It’s been tough. I’m just thankful for all the support.’
Asked if he would return to football, Hayne laughed and said, ‘I look like a front-rower.’
‘Having carefully considered the many competing factors that inform the assessment of the public interest in this case, the ODPP has determined not to proceed to a fourth trial against Mr Hayne,’ the DPP said during the hearing.
The two-time Dally M winner and NFL convert has consistently denied the allegations and claimed the sexual encounter, inside the woman’s Newcastle home on NRL grand final night in 2018, was entirely consensual.
His first trial in 2021 resulted in a hung jury and following a second trial he was found guilty, however the verdict was quashed on appeal.
Following a third trial, a jury accepted the woman’s version of events that she repeatedly said ‘no’ and ‘stop’.
However, the state’s highest court quashed Mr Hayne’s conviction after it ruled the trial judge erred by not allowing further examination of the complainant.
The appeal was upheld in a 2-1 majority decision by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
In her portion of the judgment, Justice Deborah Sweeney said the guilty verdicts were unreasonable and said she was ‘of the view there is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted’.
Hayne is still facing a civil lawsuit from his accuser, who is suing him for an undisclosed amount over the alleged attack.
