A British woman has been sentenced to six years in a Hong Kong prison for blackmailing a man she accused of raping her.
Isabel Rose from Hackney in East London travelled to Hong Kong in 2024 to visit a man she had met whilst travelling to Thailand.
She reported to the police that she had been sexually assaulted; the man was arrested but was later released without charge.
She was then accused of blackmail and perverting the course of justice, and was trapped in Hong Kong on bail.
In a trial in March this year, a judge ruled that Rose was guilty on both charges.
On Wednesday, she was sentenced to five years for blackmail and three years for perverting the course of justice.
One year is to be served consecutively, meaning Rose will be in prison for six years.
Rose told the BBC, following her conviction: “I don't feel sad, just numb.”
A British woman has been setenced to six years in prison in Hong Kong for blackmail
|GETTY
She said that the experience of reporting the allegation made her feel like her dignity had been “stripped away.”
She awaited sentencing in the Tai Lam Correctional Centre, which is Hong Kong’s oldest maximum security women’s prison.
Rose was seen crying in the dock at Wanchai District Court when her legal team explained the verdict in March.
During her trip to Thailand, she met an English banker, and the two stayed in contact over WhatsApp.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Rose was held Hong Kong’s oldest maximum security women’s prison, Tai Lam Correctional Centre
|GETTY
The man invited her to Hong Kong, telling her she would pay for her flights, whilst she was on holiday in Goa.
After arriving on January 31 2024, she alleges that she was attacked and raped in his apartment.
The following day, she said he had offered her compensation, which she initially refused, but then accepted.
She reported the rape allegation to Hong Kong police on February 3.
The police said there was insufficient evidence to pursue the rape case.
Following her charge, she was released on bail but unable to work or leave Hong Kong for two years whilst awaiting her trial.
She told the BBC: “I'd just gone to the police to report rape and within about 30 hours there were six or seven police officers at my door.
"It takes a lot to report something like that, to then be treated as a criminal. I felt like my dignity was stripped away.”
Rose was not given anonymity when the case went to court.
The judge said that Rose’s evidence was inconsistent, and rejected her allegations.