British Woman Jailed Six Years in Hong Kong Over False Rape Claim and Blackmail

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Hong Kong: A British woman has been sentenced to six years in prison in Hong Kong after being convicted of blackmail and perverting the course of public justice over what the court ruled was a fabricated rape allegation against a British banker.

Isabel Rose, 26, from southeast London, had reported to police in 2024 that she was raped shortly after arriving in Hong Kong to visit the banker, whom she had met while travelling in Southeast Asia. The banker was initially arrested but was later released, and Rose was subsequently charged following the police investigation.

In a 300-page judgment, District Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching found that the rape allegation was false, saying Rose had shown ‘not an iota of remorse’. The court accepted the banker's account of events and concluded that Rose's demands for money amounted to blackmail.

Prosecutors said Rose sought £5,000 after the alleged incident and later demanded £100,000 while threatening to report the banker to police. Rose denied the allegation, saying the money related to compensation for travel, accommodation and medical expenses.

The court also examined WhatsApp messages exchanged between the two after the alleged assault. While the banker apologised in one message, he told the court he had misunderstood Rose's wording and did not believe she was accusing him of rape. The judge also cited deleted messages and the use of disappearing chats in rejecting Rose's account.

Rose has consistently maintained that she was raped. Her spokesperson said her legal team would consider all available options following the conviction. The UK's Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance, while the Metropolitan Police confirmed it had opened a file into the allegation but was unable to pursue the investigation because of jurisdictional limitations.