Hobart Hurricanes cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary is on trial at a District Court in Queensland for an alleged rape dating back to 2021.
Chaudhary was charged following an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman during a night out on Townsville’s nightclub strip in May 2021. It is alleged that the woman was raped in Chaudhary’s car on Flinders Street, leaving her injured.
Friends of the alleged victim testified in court, stating they saw her crying and heard her say she had been raped that night. However, Chaudhary has pled not guilty to on count of rape.
The alleged victim’s mother also gave evidence in court on Tuesday (March 26), stating that he daughter had called her in tears in the early hours of May 23, 2021, and told her that she had been assaulted.
“I couldn’t hear much because she was crying, she sounded upset. I asked her why she was crying and she said she might be going to court. She told me she met this guy at the nightclub, they hung out for a bit and she mentioned she went out of the club with him and got into the car with him,” the mother said in court.
The alleged victim gave evidence in a closed hearing on Monday (March 24) afternoon. Chaudhary has elected not to give evidence in his defence during the trial.
ABC News has reported that a Cricket Tasmania spokesperson said the organisation had not been aware of the serious allegations against Chaudhary. “It’s obviously inappropriate to comment further given the matters are before the courts,” said the spokesperson. “The organisation takes matters of this kind very seriously and will be addressing them with his manager as a matter of urgency.”
The trial continues.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
