When taxi driver Helen Morel arrived at a home in Newcastle on NRL grand remaining evening in 2018, she was advised she was going to need to ferry somebody to Sydney for the profitable price of $550.
She rotated to seek out Jarryd Hayne sitting behind her taxi ingesting a Vodka Cruiser from a four-pack resting in his lap.
Ms Morel was a key witness throughout Hayne’s 11-day trial that resulted in him being discovered responsible of two counts of sexual assault.
Hayne is going through as much as 14 years in jail after the jury accepted a then 26-year-old lady didn’t consent to him performing oral and digital intercourse on her contained in the Fletcher residence she shared together with her mom.
The assault befell after Hayne stopped in on the lady’s home on the best way again to Sydney after spending two days partying and ingesting with mates at a bucks social gathering.
Ms Morel advised the court docket she picked Hayne up from the New Lambton home the place a lot of the bucks was being held, waited 46 minutes outdoors the house because the assault befell and ultimately drove him to Sydney.
The presence of the taxi proved essential, with the girl – who can’t be recognized for authorized causes – insisting she refused to present consent as a result of he had a experience ready to take him again to Sydney.
After being alerted to the job, Ms Morel made her method to decide up Hayne the place his former teammate Kane Evans negotiated the worth with the taxi driver.
She advised the court docket Hayne paid the $550 upfront as quickly as he acquired into the taxi.
Ms Morel set off on her journey as Hayne sat within the again ingesting his Vodka Cruiser.
But he rapidly advised her they wanted to make a detour and cease at a home in Fletcher to “decide up a bag”.
The taxi driver stated it was wonderful as the home wasn’t removed from the M3 and Hayne directed her utilizing the GPS system on his cellphone.
She seen he was on his cellphone “fairly a bit” earlier than arriving on the home and assuring her he would solely be a couple of minutes.
As Hayne walked into the home, Ms Morel advised the court docket he positioned an empty bottle on the letterbox.
“It was a half-drunk bottle of the combined drink,” she stated.
While she waited for Hayne, Ms Morel despatched a textual content message to a colleague, estimating she had waited about “half an hour or a bit extra perhaps”.
As time went on, she turned more and more impatient and puzzled why Hayne had not emerged.
Crown prosecutor John Sfinas advised the court docket the sufferer stated she was first alerted to the presence of the taxi when she heard Ms Morel beeping her horn.
But in her proof, Ms Morel had no recollection.
“Somebody stated that however I don’t bear in mind doing that,” she advised the jury.
“It’s not one thing I might usually do however typically it must be accomplished, I don’t recall.”
As time went on, Ms Morel turned more and more impatient and puzzled why Hayne had not emerged.
Eventually, she went and knocked on the door, chatting with the sufferer’s mom and asking to talk to Hayne.
“I requested her if Jarryd was coming quickly or was he able to go, or one thing alongside these traces,” Ms Morel advised the jury.
She stated she was feeling “irritated or annoyed” as she wished to get on the street to Sydney and head again to Newcastle.
“A couple of minutes later he leaned via the automobile window and stated he’d be just a few extra minutes as a result of his bag hadn’t arrived,” she went on.
Hayne ultimately returned they usually continued on to Sydney.
Hayne was convicted after the court docket was advised that when he returned to the girl’s room, he carried out oral and digital intercourse on her regardless of her saying “cease” a number of instances.
On the drive to Sydney, Hayne requested the driver to cease at a service station so he might buy a cellphone charger.
She ultimately dropped Hayne off in Alexandria, in internal Sydney, the place he was as a consequence of attend a perform.
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