British woman jailed in Hong Kong for blackmail after accusing man of rape
A 26-year-old woman who falsely accused a man of rape has been imprisoned and handed a six-year sentence in Hong Kong.
Isabel Rose, from south-east London, flew to HK in January 2024 to meet with a British banker she'd previously encountered while backpacking through south-east Asia.
A few days after her arrival, she told police she'd been raped in his high-rise apartment building, after which the man was arrested and questioned.
He was subsequently released without charge, a day after which Rose was arrested for attempting to extort £100,000 ($134,000) from the man in question, whose identity is being withheld.
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Appearing in Hong Kong's District Court on Wednesday (22 July) after first being convicted in March, she maintained she'd been sexually abused by the man, despite forensic testing for evidence of rape coming back inconclusive.
She also shut down accusations of blackmail, and denied having perverted the court of justice by filing a false report.
Despite her plea, district judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching described her rape allegation as 'completely fabricated', before sentencing her to six years in prison.
The judge's decision came after WhatsApp messages exchanged between Rose and the banker were shown in court by the prosecution.
The BBC reports that in one message, she asked him: "Are you annoyed I didn't want to have sex." The man then replied: "What no of course not. Was impressed by your restraint." Later that day, Rose wrote back: "You violated me last night, I didn't wanna have sex."
The banker responded: "I'm really deeply sorry, I was slightly drunk and I misread your signals, it's no excuse and I know it doesn't make it any better," after which Rose replied again: "You basically raped me."
"That's not what I'm into at all and I feel sick," the man responded again.
In later texts, they discussed money, with the man agreeing to reimburse Rose for her travel and accommodation in Hong Kong.
"Send me the right amount you owe me for everything. Think about that. Think carefully," she told him, after which the man transferred £5,000.
"You've given 10% of what I'm owed. 100% of my soul gone," Rose messaged him, after which he replied: "But I don't have 100k, I have no way of paying you that."
Rose was forced to remain in Hong Kong for two years after her arrest but wasn't permitted to work while awaiting trial, Metro reports.
Judge Ching noted in court that Rose, an 'author of her own wrongdoing', had 'not shown an iota of remorse' for her claims, telling her: "The defendant took advantage of [the man]'s kindness, naivety, friendship and romantic interest."
A spokesperson for Rose subsequently told the press: "Today is obviously a difficult day for Isabel and her mother, Aysha. We will now take advice from the legal team and consider all available options."
She was transferred to Hong Kong's oldest maximum security women's prison, Tai Lam Correctional Institution.
The Metropolitan Police have since opened a file and assigned a detective to Rose's case.
They told The Guardian in a statement: "We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and remain committed to investigating all allegations thoroughly.
"However, we have been unable to pursue relevant lines of enquiry in relation to this particular allegation due to a lack of jurisdiction in the relevant country. Should circumstances change, we will pursue all relevant enquiries."
The Foreign Office said it was in contact with a British woman in Hong Kong, her family and local authorities.
Topics: UK News, Crime, True Life, Real Life, World News
Rhianna Benson