British woman, 26, sentenced to six years in Hong Kong prison after reporting rape
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
Isabel Rose is currently inside a women’s prison in Hong Kong, where she has been sentenced to six years.
The 26-year-old Brit from east London was convicted in March of blackmail and perverting the course of public justice.
This came as she reported a rape in Hong Kong by a UK banker who then accused her of blackmail.
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Isabel had been awaiting her sentence in the Tai Lam Correctional Centre, the oldest maximum security women’s prison in Hong Kong until today (22 July).
She reported the rape allegation to police back in 2024 and the man was released within hours with police saying there was insufficient evidence to pursue Isabel’s claim.
With a year to be served consecutively, she has been sentenced to five years for blackmail and three for perverting the course of justice.
Isabel's mother Aysha Bell spoke to the BBC following her conviction earlier this year, feeling as though her dignity had been ‘stripped away’. "I don't feel sad, just numb," she said.
In late 2023, Isabel moved from the UK to teach English in Vietnam before going travelling to Thailand.
Here, she met the unnamed British banker who was on holiday and the pair stayed in touch on WhatsApp.
Later, while on holiday in Goa, she received an invite from him to Hong Kong and he offered to pay for her flights.
Twelve hours after she arrived there on 31 January 2024, Isabel alleges he attacked and raped her in his apartment.
The next day, she claims he offered her compensation, which she refused at first but later ended up accepting. She then reported the allegation to police on 3 February.
Hong Kong police went about arresting the man, but he was released within hours while they went on to arrest Isabel.
She was then charged with blackmail and later with perverting the course of public justice.
"My dignity was stripped away"
The Londoner was released on bail, but was not permitted to leave Hong Kong or to work for two years while she awaited her trial in March.
"I'd just gone to the police to report rape and within about 30 hours there were six or seven police officers at my door," she told the BBC while on bail.
"It takes a lot to report something like that, to then be treated as a criminal. I felt like my dignity was stripped away.”
When the case was heard in court, she was not given anonymity.
The judge rejected her evidence, citing inconsistencies in her testimony.
They claimed she had used a romantic connection to manipulate the man, made demands for cash and knowingly 'made a false allegation that led to his arrest'.
Her behaviour before and after the allegation was described by the judge as 'wholly inconsistent with rape'.
In one WhatsApp exchange, she told him: "You violated me last night, I didn't wanna have sex."
"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," he responded. In court, the man claimed he believed this to be a reference to 'emotional violation' rather than rape.
Other WhatsApp messages showed him describing having a past partner who asked him to indulge in non-consensual sex fantasies.
Isabel later asked: "Can you send me the money you owe me."
The man transferred Isabel £5,000 and she asked for an extra £5,000, but his attempt was stopped by bank checks.
A message from her later read: "You've given 10% of what I'm owed. 100% of my soul gone."
The judge said she demanded £100,000 and threatened to go to the police - Isabel denies these claims.
A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign Office told LADbible: "We are supporting a British woman in Hong Kong, and we are also in contact with her family and the local authorities."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Jess Battison