British woman who reported rape in Hong Kong found guilty of blackmail, perverting justice

2026-03-03 - 23:36

A British woman who was travelling in Hong Kong has been found guilty of blackmail and perverting the course of justice, after initially reporting a man for alleged rape in 2024. The District Court in Wan Chai. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP. Isabel Rose appeared at the District Court to receive the verdict on Tuesday. The 25-year-old was accused of demanding £100,000 (HK$1,040,500) from a man and of falsifying a report to authorities that she was raped. When handing down the verdict, which took only around a minute, Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching said she was not going to read out the full verdict, which was over 300 pages, as it was “very, very long.” Isabel Rose. Photo: Isabel Rose, via Instagram. The judge said she would just announce the verdict, stating that the prosecution had proved both charges “beyond reasonable doubt” before adjourning the hearing. The verdict comes more than two years after Rose filed a police report saying she was raped by a man in his Mid-Levels apartment during the early hours of February 1, 2024. Three days later, police arrested the man – known in the case as X – on suspicion of rape. Police arrested Rose two days later on suspicion of blackmail, and she was subsequently charged with allegedly demanding a payment of £100,000 from the man. Months later, Rose was also charged with perverting the course of justice, with the prosecution saying that she had filed a false rape report to police. The man was not charged. Up to 7 years’ jail After the judge left the room, Rose burst into tears. Court security allowed her mother, who was sitting in the public gallery, to come forward. She comforted her crying daughter through the glass of the defendant’s dock. “Mummy, I’m really scared,” Rose said between tears. “I just wanted to go home,” she cried. “I really, really wanna go home.” Most of the seats in the courtroom’s public gallery were full, with around 30 supporters – mostly women – who attended the hearing in a show of solidarity for Rose. Ahead of the verdict, they surrounded Rose in a prayer circle and held her while she was distraught and crying. Isabel Rose’s mother (right) outside the District Court on March 3, 2026. Photo: Hillary Leung/HKFP. She faces up to seven years in jail. The judge adjourned the hearing for around two hours before it resumed for mitigation. During the mitigation hearing, Rose’s barrister, Elizabeth Herbert, confirmed that the defendant has a clear record. She submitted mitigation letters, including those written by Rose, her mother, and her friends, to the judge. Tse said the sentence would be handed down on July 22. Rose was remanded in custody. As her supporters left the courtroom, Rose thanked them between sobs. They responded saying, “It’s not over,” and “Justice was not done today.” ‘You violated me’ The case relates to an incident between Rose and X, a British banker, in Hong Kong. They first met in Thailand in December 2023 and stayed in contact after that. Later, X bought Rose, who was travelling in Asia, a plane ticket to Hong Kong and invited her to stay at his home. Rose arrived in the city on January 31, 2024, and after X finished work, they went to the Happy Valley Racecourse. During a days-long trial last year, Rose testified that X raped and sodomised her that night. WhatsApp, Telegram and other apps on a smartphone. Photo: lonely blue/Unsplash. The prosecution’s case, however, was that they kissed and X performed oral sex on her. But when X told her he did not want to have sex, he took off the condom he was putting on, according to the prosecution. The next day, according to WhatsApp conversations reproduced in the judgment, Rose told X she wanted to move into a hotel and asked if the flight he bought her could be changed. She then said: “You violated me last night, I didn’t wanna have sex.” She also wrote: “You raped me.” X did not deny the accusation, but he offered to book a hotel room for her and to try to book her an earlier flight. In response to the defence’s view that X not refuting the rape accusation raised questions about whether their intimate acts were consensual, Tse said she agreed that X “could have done so more explicitly.” However, the judge added, this was “not surprising” as he was confused by Rose’s allegations and wished to speak to her on the phone instead of messaging. ‘Crystal clear’ demand The next morning, Rose asked X over WhatsApp to send the money he owed her. According to the defence, during a two-minute phone call the night before, X had offered to send her “£2,000, £5,000 or more” to cover her hotel, medical expenses, and stay in Hong Kong. District Court Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching. Photo: Judiciary. X replied to the WhatsApp message saying he was not aware of any outstanding debts other than those relating to the offer to pay for her hotel, and asked how much she would like. When he said he would send her £2,000, Rose said, “I remember it being 5k,” before saying, “technically it was £10k.” Eventually, X paid Rose £5,000. He attempted to send a second £5,000 payment but told Rose it did not go through due to security reasons. During the trial, X testified that in a disappearing voice message sent that day, Rose told him he had “24 hours” to pay her £100,000, or she would report him to the police. Rose denied making such a demand. Tse sided with the prosecution, saying it was “crystal clear” that Rose had demanded £100,000. The Hong Kong Police Force emblem. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP. She pointed to a WhatsApp message in which Rose said X had only paid “10% of what you owe me. You’re good at maths so I’m sure you can work it out.” When X told Rose she did not have £100,000, she did not deny asking him to pay that amount, the judge said, adding that the defendant was basically confirming she was asking for that sum. Regarding the alleged rape, Tse said that after X left for work, Rose “never telephoned the police or anyone else for help.” She also stayed in his flat for “the best part of the day,” Tse said, adding that she only left at close to 6pm despite saying during the trial that she felt unsafe there. Both X and Rose testified in the trial. Tse said she found X an “honest, credible and reliable witness,” while describing Rose as a “dishonest, incredible and unreliable” witness.