'I reported rape in Hong Kong, now I could face prison'

A 25-year-old British woman who reported to police in Hong Kong she had been raped, found herself in handcuffs and is now facing a potential prison sentence.

Isabel Rose, from Hackney in east London, went to Hong Kong police in early 2024 after meeting a man she had previously encountered while travelling in Asia.

The man, who cannot be named, was arrested, but within hours Rose was charged with blackmail and later a further charge of perverting the course of public justice. He denies the allegations and faces no charges.

Prosecutors say she made unwarranted demands for money while threatening to pursue the complaint with police.

They claim Rose asked for £5,000 and later demanded £100,000, allegations that Rose denies.

Rose maintains that she was raped and was seeking compensation that was first offered by the individual following the alleged sexual assault.

After he was arrested and questioned by police, Rose was then accused of blackmailing him.

She said that after her arrest, she was handcuffed to a hospital bed and watched and monitored by police both male and female police officers.

"I reported it to the police within 72 hours, and very quickly after the allegation was dropped completely and I was the one left facing charges of blackmail," she told the BBC.

"I trusted in a system to piece things together and to take my allegation seriously," she said.

Throughout the proceedings, Rose has been on bail, unable to work or to leave Hong Kong, leaving her in limbo while awaiting the court's decision.

She reported the rape with her mother who travelled to Hong Kong to support her.

The pair say the say that they have incurred tens of thousands of pounds on accommodation and legal costs.

Friends have set up an online fundraiser, in support.

"It's been a journey that I've had to deal with for the last two years of trying to prove my innocence, or just trying to prove that I got raped," Rose said.

"What is now being presented is nothing to do with rape.

"I think after building the courage to report something like that in a foreign country… I trusted in a system, not just the police, but in a whole system."

"They took his word over the word of a young girl travelling in the country, just for a short period of time," Isabel's mother Aysha Bell, who has been living in Hong Kong since her arrest, said.

Legal specialists say cases like this are rare, especially where an allegation of sexual assault is investigated but then the accuser becomes accused of a crime.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say the challenges faced by women in Hong Kong highlights fears that survivors of sexual violence are deterred from reporting offences.

It "severely hinder survivors from seeking justice through the system in the first place," said Irene Lam from Rainlilly, a sexual violence NGO.

"Where a young British woman reports rape in a foreign jurisdiction and subsequently becomes entangled in prolonged criminal proceedings, serious safeguarding questions arise.

"Extended legal uncertainty, restrictions on movement, and financial and psychological strain can have devastating consequences," said Ngozi Fulani from Sistah Space, a nonprofit initiative in London that supports women affected by sexual abuse.

Hong Kong Police said they were unable to provide further comment.

Rose contacted her local MP Dame Meg Hellier for support.

The Hackney South and Shoreditch MP said: "My constituent has been through living hell. She reported a serious sexual assault in the trust that the authorities in Hong Kong would support her and has been let down by a lack of proper investigation."

"The low level of reported sexual assaults in Hong Kong raises questions about how confident women are to report," she told the BBC.

The UK consulate in Hong Kong said it does not comment on details of individual cases but that it provide consular assistance to British nationals.

Hong Kong is part of China but operates its own legal system under the "one country, two systems" model agreed ahead of Britain's 1997 handover of the territory.

Following a trial last year, verdict in Rose's case is expected on 3 March. If convicted, she could face several years in prison.

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