A woman from the UK has been sentenced to six years in prison for her involvement in a blackmail case amounting to £100,000 in Hong Kong. Isabel Rose, a resident of Hackney, east London, was found guilty of extortion and obstructing justice by District Court Judge Adriana Tse. The court determined that Rose, aged 26, had demanded the substantial sum from the man she accused of rape.

Following her conviction, the 26-year-old was handed a six-year prison term at the District Court in Hong Kong and was transferred to Tai Lam Correctional Institution, the city’s oldest maximum security women’s prison. Despite her legal team’s plea for leniency citing her lack of criminal history and foreign status in Hong Kong, Judge Tse dismissed these arguments. Rose had been restricted from working or leaving the region for two years leading up to her trial.

The case stemmed from Rose’s allegation in 2024 that she was sexually assaulted by a man in his residence in Mid-Levels, a prestigious neighborhood in Hong Kong, on February 1, 2024. The individual, referred to as X during the proceedings, was initially arrested on suspicion of rape. However, Rose was later apprehended on blackmail charges for purportedly demanding £100,000 from him.

During the trial held in March, Rose faced additional charges of perverting the course of justice, with prosecutors asserting that she had fabricated the rape accusation. In contrast, the man, known as X, was not formally charged. The judge characterized X as a truthful and dependable witness while labeling Rose as deceitful and unreliable, as reported by Hong Kong Free Press.

Judge Tse imposed a starting sentence of five years for blackmail and three years for perverting justice, with one year to be served consecutively, resulting in a total prison term of six years.