Court jails British woman who cried rape in Hong Kong 

By our reporter 22.7.2026
A 26-year-old British woman Isabela Rose will spend six years in a Hong Kong prison after she was convicted of blackmail and perjury.
According to local media reports Isabela Rose travelled to Hong Kong to meet a British banker she met in Thailand in January 2024 and while they slept in his Highrise home they had sex, but she later told the police February 3, she was raped after the banker failed to her pay £100,000 as compensation.
The banker who was not identified by the court was arrested and after his statement, Isabela Rose was also arrested.
During the hearing prosecutors said she fabricated her rape story to blackmail the banker, but Isabela Rose insisted she was raped. The prosecution presented WhatsApp messages between the two to prove their case against her.
In one message sent the following morning, Rose wrote: “Are you annoyed I didn’t want to have sex,” to which the man replied: “What no of course not. Was impressed by your restraint.”
Later that day, Rose wrote: “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 later exchange, Rose wrote: “You basically raped me.” The man replied: “That’s not what I’m into at all and I feel sick.”
The pair later exchanged messages about money. According to the written judgement of the verdict published in March, the man agreed to reimburse Rose for her travel and accommodation.
In one message, Rose wrote: “Send me the right amount you owe me for everything. Think about that. Think carefully.”
He transferred £5,000 that day and tried to send a further £5,000.
Rose subsequently wrote: “You’ve given 10% of what I’m owed. 100% of my soul gone.”
In a later message, the man wrote: “But I don’t have 100k, I have no way of paying you that.”
Presiding Judge Adriana Tse sentenced her to five years in prison for blackmail and three years for perverting the course of justice, with one year to be served consecutively.
At Wednesday’s sentencing, Tse said the defendant had committed a “cruel and evil” offence by extorting money from the man.
“The defendant took advantage of [the man]’s kindness, naivety, friendship and romantic interest,” Judge Tse said.
She called Rose “an author of her own wrongdoing” and said her false report to police had been “vengeful and wicked.”