West Indian cricket superstar Chris Gayle is set to appear in a Sydney court where he will deny having exposed himself to a female massage therapist in a dressing room.
Even with a much-anticipated Ashes home series looming, Gayle’s court case could be more riveting than anything that happens on the field this summer.
The swashbuckling batsman is due to give evidence in the NSW Supreme Court when a $1 million defamation action he has launched is heard later this month.
The 38-year-old claims a series of stories defamed him by suggesting he ‘intentionally exposed his genitals to a woman in the West Indies team dressing room during a training session at the 2015 World Cup.’
Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle is set to give evidence in court that he did not expose himself to a female massage therapist in a Sydney dressing room during the 2015 World Cup
Claims Chris Gayle exposed himself to a masseuse followed his infamous television interview with presenter Mel McLaughlin during a T20 game which included the line ‘Don’t blush, baby’
West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle pictured at the Australian Open in January 2017, one year after his infamous ‘Don’t blush, baby’ interview with television presenter Mel McLaughlin
West Indian cricket superstar Chris Gayle, pictured in England last month, denies he exposed himself to a female massage therapist while his team was in Sydney for the 2015 World Cup
He further claims the articles defamed him by suggesting he ‘indecently propositioned’ the same woman during the same incident.
The former Test caption says the articles brought him into public disrepute, ridicule and contempt, damaging his personal reputation and commercial brand.
Gayle and the masseuse are set to give evidence before a jury, while Gayle may call his former teammate, fellow West Indian Dwayne Smith, who was also in the dressing room.
The disputed articles appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times in January last year, following Gayle’s infamous ‘Don’t blush, baby’ encounter with TV presenter Mel McLaughlin.
The newspapers’ publishers are defending the action, claiming Gayle was not defamed and the allegations were true.
They state in a defence lodged in the Supreme Court that Gayle, the plaintiff, exposed himself to the masseuse – known as ‘Person A’ – while his team was training at Drummoyne, in inner-west Sydney, on or about February 12, 2015.
‘During the training session, whilst the majority of players were on the field, Person A entered the players’ dressing room,’ their defence states.
West Indian superstar cricketer Chris Gayle pictured during his infamous interview with then Channel 10 TV presenter Mel McLaughlin who he told ‘Don’t blush, baby’ in January last year
West Indian cricket superstar is set to give evidence in a Sydney court during defamation proceedings he has launched over claims he exposed himself to a female massage therapist
Chris Gayle, pictured playing in the Big Bash League at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium in January last year, is claiming he was defamed by accusations he exposed himself to a masseuse
‘The plaintiff and another West Indian cricketer, Dwayne Smith, were in the dressing room. The plaintiff was wrapped in a towel.’
The publishers state the following conversation then took place.
Gayle: ‘What are you looking for?’
Masseuse: ‘A towel.’
Gayle: ‘Are you looking for this?’
Masseuse: ‘No.’
‘As the plaintiff asked Person A “Are you looking for this?” the plaintiff pulled his towel out and down and partially exposed his penis to Person A,’ the defence states.
‘As Person A said “No”, she put her hand up to the plaintiff and walked out of the dressing room.’
Gayle will be the star witness when the case, which is set down for nine days, starts on October 23.
The newspaper reports followed an encounter between Gayle and then Channel 10 sports presenter Mel McLaughlin in a mid-match interview during a T20 game in January last year.
‘I wanted to come and have an interview with you as well, just so I can see your eyes for the first time,’ Gayle had said.
West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle says he was defamed by a series of newspaper articles which stated he had exposed himself to a masseuse in a dressing room during the 2015 World Cup
West Indian cricketer Dwayne Smith, pictured playing in a Hong Kong T20 Blitz match in March this year, was in a change room when Chris Gayle allegedly exposed himself to a masseuse
TV presenter Mel McLaughlin, pictured arriving at the Dally M Awards in Sydney last month, was left stumped when Chris Gayle appeared to proposition her in a mid-match interview
‘Nice. So hopefully we win this game and we can have a drink after. Don’t blush, baby.’
Gayle’s team, the Melbourne Renegades, fined him $10,000 after the interview. The cricketer said his comments had been ‘blown out of proportion’.
The newspaper publishers claim the masseuse stories which ran after the ‘Don’t blush, baby’ incident fall under ‘qualified privilege’ because they were of legitimate public interest.
‘At the time of publication of the matters complained of [Gayle’s] conduct and character was of proper and legitimate public interest…’ the defence states.
The stories related to the conduct of a professional sports player, the treatment of women by professional sports players, the alleged sexual harassment of a woman performing a professional service and Gayle’s ‘conduct and character’.
Gayle says the articles were malicious and untrue.
Chris Gayle, pictured playing for West Indies during a One Day International against England last month, has been one of cricket’s most explosive batsman in all three formats of the game
Damages for such actions are capped at $389,500, making the three claims total more than $1 million, although the actions are almost identical and would mitigate each other.
Gayle claims he ‘has been greatly injured and his business, personal and professional reputation has been and will be brought into public disrepute, odium, ridicule and contempt’, according to his statement of claim.
He claims to have further suffered damage to his reputation by the masseuse story being published on websites in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Barbados.
Gayle describes the ‘salacious’ stories published in Australia as a ‘smear campaign’.
The Jamaican has belted 10,571 runs in 309 T20 matches at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 147.97. He has scored 9394 One Day International runs at 37.42 in 273 games and amassed 7214 runs in 103 Tests at 42.18.
West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle’s defamation case against three newspaper publishers will be heard in the NSW Supreme Court building at Queens Square (pictured) from October 23
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