Jarryd Hayne was all smiles as he walked out of jail holding a brown cardboard box of his possessions on Tuesday afternoon.
The former NRL player grinned and hugged a mate as he left Cooma Correctional Centre just hours after he was granted strict conditional bail in the NSW District Court.
While Hayne is bailed to a western Sydney address with his wife, Amellia Bonnici, his mother and sister appeared to be preparing for a celebration at their Umina home on the Central Coast on Tuesday morning.
Jarryd Hayne was all smiles as he walked out of jail holding a brown cardboard box of his possessions on Tuesday afternoon
The former NRL player grinned and hugged a mate as he left Cooma Correctional Centre just hours after he was granted strict conditional bail in the NSW District Court
The women carried bags full of groceries from the car to the home but a friend of the family insisted there was no party and Hayne would not be making the five-hour trip from Cooma to Umina today.
‘They’re all hunkering down,’ the loved one said.
A neighbour added the Hayne family are extremely private and will likely not make a show of any celebrations they do have.
As per his bail conditions, Hayne will be permitted to travel to the Central Coast to visit his family, but must reside with Ms Bonnici at her western Sydney home.
Jarryd Hayne’s family is eagerly anticipating his release from custody – seen stocking up on food and supplies after he was granted bail
The women carried bags full of groceries from the car to the home around the same time Hayne was granted bail in the District Court
Hayne’s family (pictured with his mum and sister) will likely celebrate his release from prison in private. He must now begin preparing for a third trial
Hayne, who was granted freedom on his 34th birthday – has always maintained his innocence.
But his alleged victim is now facing the prospect of yet another marathon three-week trial amid allegations he sexually assaulted her inside her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final.
On Tuesday, Judge Christopher O‘Brien agreed to grant Hayne bail on the proviso not enter the Newcastle local government area or attempt to make contact with the complainant.
Hayne is required to pay a $20,000 surety within seven days of his release, the court heard.
As part of 15 strict bail conditions, Hayne must report to Merrylands police station in Sydney’s west each Monday, Wednesday and Friday and forfeit his passport.
Hayne’s bail conditions instruct him to remain at his wife’s home in Sydney’s west and report to Merrylands police station three days per week
Hayne will return to his wife on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday and freedom after he was granted bail
Hayne was raised by a single mother (pictured) in housing commission and had one of the most uplifting success stories in the NRL prior to his arrest
A new trial date will be decided on February 18. But given delays in the court system, if a trial goes ahead, it might not be scheduled until 2023.
Prosecutors must follow strict guidelines to determine whether a retrial is held, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said.
In matters such as this the Crown typically weighs up the likelihood a jury could find beyond reasonable doubt that Hayne is guilty.
Hayne’s legal team argued in court that presiding Judge Helen Syme gave the jury ‘flawed’ directions, and that the alleged victim’s evidence was inconsistent in seeking to overturn the conviction.
The 34-year-old’s freedom comes after nine months in custody at Cooma Correctional Centre 400km south-west of Sydney.
Cooma is a medium and minimum security facility 400km south-west of Sydney which has housed high-profile white collar criminals in recent years
Hayne must reside with his wife Amellia Bonnici (pictured) as part of his strict bail conditions
The medium and minimum security facility is generally known to house high-profile white collar inmates.
Oliver Curtis, PR guru Roxy Jacenko’s husband, found himself jailed for a year at Cooma for conspiracy to commit insider trading in 2016.
Other notable names who’ve spent time inside the concrete facility include sex offender former Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos and controversial businessman Salim Mehajer.
Hayne was initially taken to Parklea Correctional Centre and housed alongside murderers, bikies and drug dealers.
Conflicting reports emerged about his short time in custody at Parklea, with one source saying he was ‘pelted with apples’ by some inmates upon arrival, while another told Daily Mail Australia he was ‘hero worshiped’.
‘Many of them (inmates) had troubled upbringings…they were excited about meeting a sporting hero who had come from similarly humble beginnings,’ the source said.
Seeking a new challenge, he ditched his $2million contract with Parramatta in 2014, flew to America and tried to make it in one of the toughest sporting leagues in the world as a completely inexperienced rookie
Upon arriving in Cooma, however, Hayne was swiftly put to work.
He landed a job in the jail’s textiles workshop, making prison greens for fellow inmates. Hayne, who earned $1.2million playing for the Gold Coast Titans, earned about $24.60 a week in the role.
It’s understood he was ‘no seamstress’ and struggled with the work before accepting a traineeship in the prison’s laundry room for almost double the pay.
For $48.96 a week, Hayne washed bed sheets for other inmates as well as local aged care homes.
All the while, Hayne has maintained his innocence, vowing to appeal his conviction and fight for his freedom.
It’s unclear whether the Director of Public Prosecutions will progress with a third trial.
Amellia Bonnici, the mother of Hayne’s children and his wife, stood by him despite the rape conviction
A jury in his first trial could not reach a verdict, but in March 2021 during his second trial, the jury found beyond reasonable doubt Hayne had sexually assaulted the 26-year-old woman in her bedroom on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final.
She allegedly suffered injuries during a sexual encounter and required medical treatment.
In text to a friend after the incident, the victim described how she stopped wanting to have sex with Hayne after learning he had a taxi waiting outside to take him back to Sydney.
She recounted she ‘kept saying no’ and claimed she suffered injuries to her genitalia.
Further messages showed the woman confronting Hayne, saying: ‘I know I’ve talked about sex and stuff so much, but I didn’t want to do that after knowing the taxi was waiting for you’.
‘I thought you would have at least stayed? I m hurting really badly. I told my Mum you got a nose bleed, but I’m sitting here in my room crying ’cause I feel weird.’
Hayne replied: ‘Go doctor tomorrow’.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk