THE jury in the rape trial of Jarryd Hayne has retired to determine what happened between the former rugby league player and a woman in her bedroom at Fletcher on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
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And then, when they return to court, they will determine the fate of the former NRL star. The woman claims she told Mr Hayne "no" and "I don't want to" but he was forceful and rough and raped her twice, leaving her with lacerations to her genitalia that bled profusely.
Mr Hayne, 32, says any sexual activity that occurred in the woman's bedroom on the night of September 30, 2018, was consensual.
He also says that the injuries the woman suffered were inflicted accidentally.
And, after listening to two weeks of evidence and submissions in Newcastle District Court, the jury retired about 1pm on Thursday to begin determining what really happened in that bedroom. Mr Hayne has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and inflict actual bodily harm.
The woman gave evidence that the pair had struck up a flirtatious relationship on social media before arranging to meet at her house at Fletcher on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final. Mr Hayne had been in Newcastle that weekend for a two-day bucks party.
After an awkward interaction in her bedroom, during which Mr Hayne serenaded her with Ed Sheeran covers, the woman became aware that Mr Hayne had kept a taxi waiting outside to continue driving him back to Sydney.
The woman says that after realising he wasn't planning on staying long and was just after sex, she resolved not to have sex with him.
But she claims he forced himself on her on her bed, tried to kiss her and then pulled off her pants before engaging in two sexual acts that left blood on her bed and Mr Hayne's face.
The woman has said she repeatedly told Mr Hayne "no" and "I don't want to", a claim Mr Hayne has denied.
During his closing address on Thursday, defence barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, told the jury Mr Hayne's sexual prowess was "terrible" and the sex was "bad".
But he said if the woman had not bled profusely from a laceration to her genitalia then there would have been no allegation of sexual assault made against the former NRL star.
It was bad sex. If there hadn't been blood though, it's unlikely there would have been any complaint made against Jarryd Hayne of sexual assault.
- Defence barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, said on Thursday.
He said Mr Hayne had "stuck solid" in his evidence and created enough reasonable doubt about what happened in the woman's bedroom at Fletcher on the night of the NRL grand final for the jury to acquit him.
Crown prosecutor Brian Costello told the jury the woman's version of what happened showed Mr Hayne had "no reasonable grounds" to believe the woman was consenting to sexual activity.
