FORMER NRL star Jarryd Hayne had been at a two-day bucks party for a fellow rugby league player on the weekend he is alleged to have raped a woman at her home, Newcastle District Court has heard.
Mr Hayne, 32, was arraigned on Monday morning and pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and inflict actual bodily harm.
Crown prosecutor Brian Costello told the jury panel that the charges stem from an alleged sexual assault at a home in Newcastle, on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
Mr Costello said Mr Hayne had been in Newcastle attending a bucks party for former Newcastle Knight and fellow Fijian international Kevin Naiqama over the weekend before he went to the alleged victim's house on the evening of Sunday September 30.
Mr Costello said the prosecution would allege the sexual acts were done without consent and "during those acts an injury was recklessly inflicted upon [the alleged victim]."
During his directions to the jury, Judge Peter Whitford, SC, said Mr Hayne had "for a number of years had quite a public profile", but he urged the jury to put aside any feelings they had towards him and decide the case solely on the evidence in the trial. He also told them to ignore any media reports, past or future, about Mr Hayne.
The jury were read a list of potential witnesses and people who will be mentioned during the trial, including a number of rugby league players who attended the same bucks party as Mr Hayne.
The trial is expected to run for at least two weeks.
