Isabel Rose: British woman jailed for blackmail after accusing banker of rape in Hong Kong
According to local media reports, Judge Adriana Tse sentenced him to five years in prison for blackmail and three years, one year consecutive, for perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutors argued Rose made up the claim in an attempt to extort £100,000 ($134,000) from the man, whose identity is withheld. Rose denied the accusations throughout the hearing and repeatedly claimed that she was raped.
According to court documents, Rose traveled to Hong Kong on Jan. 31, 2024, after meeting the man while in Thailand a month earlier.
At the center of the indictment were the WhatsApp messages shared between the two in the hours and days following the alleged rape in her apartment on February 1.
In a text message the next morning, Rose wrote: “Are you mad because I don’t want to have sex?” To which the man replied: “Of course not. I’m impressed with your restraint.”
Later that day, Rose wrote: “You raped me last night, I didn’t want to have sex.”
He replied: “I’m really sorry, I was a bit drunk and misread your signals, that’s no excuse and I know it doesn’t make it any better.”
In a later conversation, Rose wrote: “You practically raped me.” The man replied: “I’m not interested in this at all and I feel sick.”
The two then exchanged messages about money. According to the written verdict of the decision published in March, the man agreed to cover Rose’s travel and accommodation expenses.
In one message, Rose wrote: “Send me the amount you owe for everything. Think about it. Think carefully.”
He transferred £5,000 that day and tried to send another £5,000.
Rose later wrote: “You gave me 10% of what I owed. 100% of my soul is gone.”
In a later message, the man wrote: “But I don’t have $100k, there’s no way I can pay you that.”
Rose reported the rape to police on February 3. The man was arrested and released before being questioned. Rose was arrested the next day and later charged with blackmail and perverting the course of public justice.
