Judge says text messages undermined allegations by woman who demanded £100,000
HONG KONG – A court in Hong Kong has sentenced a British woman to six years in prison after convicting her of blackmailing a compatriot for £100,000 over rape allegations.
Isabel Anonia Barbra Eudora Rose, 26, was sentenced at the District Court on Wednesday, with Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching finding her guilty of blackmail and perverting the course of public justice.
Rose, an event management professional from London, arrived in Hong Kong on Jan 31, 2024, to visit a man she had met during a trip to Thailand. She alleged that he raped her later that night at his one-bedroom flat in the Central district of Bong Kong.
The following day, the pair exchanged messages discussing both what had happened and possible compensation. In one message, Rose wrote: “You basically raped me,” to which the man replied: “That is not what I’m into at all and I feel sick.”
Rose reported the alleged rape to police on Feb 3. The court heard that the man was initially arrested and taken in for questioning, but officers arrested Rose the following day and later charged her.
In her ruling, Judge Tse accepted the man’s account and relied in part on the messages exchanged after the incident.
In response, Rose asked whether he was annoyed that she did not want to have sex. He replied that he was impressed by her restraint but felt mildly frustrated.
Judge Tse said these exchanges undermined the rape allegation, noting that Rose’s messages were inconsistent with her claim. She concluded that the allegation had been fabricated.
The judge found that the pair had engaged in intimate acts but did not have penetrative intercourse. A forensic examination found bruising on Rose’s neck but no genital injuries.
The court heard that discussions about money followed. Initially, the pair discussed reimbursement for accommodation and travel expenses. While the man agreed to pay £2,000 at Rose’s request, she later increased the amount to £5,000.
Rose subsequently wrote: “You’ve given 10 per cent of what I’m owed, 100 per cent of my soul gone,” implying she expected a larger payment.
In further exchanges, the man said: “But I don’t have £100k, I have no way of paying you that,” to which Rose replied: “You have half of it which can be sent. And the other half tomorrow.”
The court found that Rose had demanded £100,000, threatening to go to police if the money was not paid by a deadline, constituting blackmail.
After the ruling in March, Rose broke down in tears in the dock and was remanded in custody pending sentencing.
She later told the South China Morning Post that she could not believe what had happened and said “none of it makes sense”.
“I reported the rape. But within 24 hours, there was no rape any more,” she said, adding that officers told her they would treat the blackmail case more seriously.
She said she had arrived in Hong Kong as a tourist and now faced having to “suck it all up”, referring to her imprisonment.