Isabel Rose, a British national, has been sentenced to six years in prison in Hong Kong after being convicted of blackmail and perverting the course of justice. Judge Adriana Tse handed down a five-year sentence for blackmail and a consecutive one-year term for perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutors contended that Rose fabricated her allegation of rape against a UK banker, whose identity has been withheld, in an effort to extort £100,000 (approximately $134,000). Rose consistently denied the charges, maintaining that she was raped.
Rose traveled to Hong Kong on January 31, 2024, after meeting the man in Thailand a month prior, according to court documents. The core of the prosecution's case relied on WhatsApp messages exchanged between Rose and the banker in the hours and days following the alleged incident on February 1 at his apartment.
In messages sent the morning after the alleged encounter, Rose asked, "Are you annoyed I didn't want to have sex." The man responded, "What no of course not. Was impressed by your restraint." Later that day, Rose sent a message stating, "You violated me last night, I didn't wanna have sex." He replied, "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."
In a subsequent exchange, Rose wrote, "You basically raped me." The man responded, "That's not what I'm into at all and I feel sick." The messages then shifted to discussions about money. The banker agreed to reimburse Rose for her travel and accommodation expenses, as detailed in the written judgment published in March.
Rose sent a message demanding, "Send me the right amount you owe me for everything. Think about that. Think carefully." The man transferred £5,000 that day and attempted to send an additional £5,000. Rose then wrote, "You've given 10% of what I'm owed. 100% of my soul gone." The man replied, "But I don't have 100k, I have no way of paying you that."
Rose reported the alleged rape to the police on February 3. The banker was subsequently arrested and questioned before being released without charge. Rose was arrested the following day and later charged with blackmail and perverting the course of public justice.