SerpApi.Org
A British woman has been jailed for six years in Hong Kong after lying that she had been raped and trying to blackmail her victim out of £100,000.
Isabel Rose, 26, claimed she had been sexually assaulted by a British banker in his high-rise flat in the early hours of February 1, 2024.
Rose, from Hackney, east London, was found guilty of blackmail and perverting the course of public justice on Wednesday after District Judge Adriana Tse concluded she was ‘dishonest, uncredible and unreliable’.
She had met the man in Thailand a month earlier and travelled to see him again in Hong Kong on January 31.
Events manager Rose messaged her victim, identified only as X, on WhatsApp the following morning saying: ‘Are you annoyed I didn’t want to have sex.’
He reponsded: ‘What no of course not. Was impressed by your restraint.’
Later that day, she messaged again saying: ‘You violated me last night, I didn’t wanna have sex.’
In another exchange she said: ‘You basically raped me.’ and he responded: ‘That’s not what I’m into at all and I feel sick.’
The court heard that he had misinterpreted this and read the message in two parts. He said that he thought she was referring to emotional violation rather than accusing him of rape.
The judge also was that Rose had used disappearing messages and deleted others.
He went on to pay her for her travel and accommodation, but then Rose said: ‘Send me the right amount you owe me for everything. Think about that. Think carefully.’
He sent sent her two payments of £5,000′, but Rose wanted more.
She said: ‘You’ve given 10% of what I’m owed. 100% of my sould gone’.
He responded telling her ‘But I don’t have 100k, I have no way of paying you that.’
Rose went to the police on February 1 and X was arrested, but later released without charge. After seeing the messages, police arrested Rose on February 4.
District Judge Adriana Tse heard that she went on to demand £100,000 from him following the accusation.
She said the banker had been ‘nothing but kind to the defendant’ and Rose had ‘taken advantage of his kindness, naivety, friendship and romantic interest’.
Judge Tse ruled that he was an ‘honest, credible and reliable witness’ while it was ‘crystal clear’ Rose had demanded the money from him.
She described Rose as ‘venegeful and wicked’ adding that she was ‘an author of her own wrongdoing’. She said Rose had ‘not shown an iota of remorse’ and said the allegation was ‘completely fabricated’.
Rose, from Hackney, east London, maintained her innocence but while awaiting trial was unable to work or leave Hong Kong.
Her lawyer asked for leniency based on her lack of a criminal record and status as a foreigner.
Judge Tse said: ‘In the present case, good character is mere absence of convictions.’
She found that in this case there was ‘nothing exemplary’.
A spokesperson for Rose, Radd Seiger said: ‘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.’
Rose was sent to Tai Lam Correctional Institution – Hong Kong’s oldest maximum security women’s prison.
