More than two years after reporting a rape allegation, in which the accused was arrested but not charged with the crime. Isabel Rose has been sentenced to six years in prison11:26, 22 Jul 2026A Brit reported a rape allegation and supplied a court with WhatsApp messages where her alleged attacker appeared to apologise and claimed he felt "sick" - but she was jailed for six years.‌Isabel Rose was handed the prison sentence in Hong Kong after being convicted of blackmail and perverting the course of justice following a six-day trial in March. Delivering the sentence today District Judge Adriana Tse said Rose had “not shown any remorse for her wicked behaviour”, rejecting her lawyer’s pleas for leniency based on her previous good character and clean record.‌Judge Tse said: “In the present case, good character is mere absence of convictions”, adding there was “nothing exemplary”. She also said Rose’s foreign status in Hong Kong was no reason for a shorter sentence.‌In the 300-page judgment, the judge said it was “crystal clear” Rose had demanded £100,000 from the accused, describing him as an “honest, credible and reliable witness” while referring to Rose as “dishonest, incredible and unreliable.” The judge also said Rose had used a romantic connection to manipulate the man, made escalating demands for money and knowingly made a false allegation that led to his arrest.Previously the court was shown WhatsApp messages exchanged in the hours and days after the alleged rape. In one message, 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.”‌Rose then messaged: "You basically raped me [X's name] and that's not ok. I don't know what your into but", in which he responded: "That's not what I'm into at all and I feel sick."The accused told the court he understood this as a reference to “emotional violation” and not a rape, saying he had read the message in two parts.He transferred £5,000 before she requested a further £5,000, which was halted by bank checks. Rose claimed the money was compensation for flights, accommodation and medical costs. She later sent a message saying: “You’ve given 10% of what I’m owed. 100% of my soul gone.”‌The judge said Rose had demanded £100,000 and threatened to go to the police - which Rose denied in court - and said her behaviour before and after the allegation was “wholly inconsistent with rape”. She had been remanded inside Hong Kong’s oldest maximum-security women’s prison after facing up to seven years behind bars.Rose met the banker after leaving the UK in 2023 to teach English in Vietnam. The pair kept in touch after meeting in Thailand before he invited her to Hong Kong, offering to cover her travel costs. Rose alleged that just 12 hours after arriving in Hong Kong on January 31, 2024, she was attacked and raped in the banker’s apartment during the early hours of February 1.Police initially arrested the man, known in court only as X because he cannot be identified for legal reasons, but released him within hours after determining there was insufficient evidence to pursue the allegation. He was never charged.‌Rose was later arrested on suspicion of blackmail before being charged with demanding HK$1.05 million (£100,000) from the banker. Months later, prosecutors also charged her with perverting the course of justice, alleging she had knowingly made a false rape report. Released on bail, Rose was unable to work or leave Hong Kong for almost two years while awaiting trial.Before the trial, Rose maintained the rape took place . Speaking ahead of the trial, she said: “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: “It takes a lot to report something like that, to then be treated as a criminal. I felt like my dignity was stripped away.”Article continues belowRose said she encountered problems when reporting the allegation, claiming she had to repeat her account to multiple police officers over 12 hours and that no recording was made of her statement. She also claimed no translator was present and that forensic tests were conducted by a male doctor. The results were inconclusive, neither confirming nor disproving the alleged sexual assault.Hong Kong is currently reforming its sexual offences laws, many of which date back to the 1970s. The government is expected to launch a public consultation on the proposed reforms later this year.Research by Rainlily, a sexual violence crisis centre in Hong Kong, found that fewer than half of rape victims report offences to police, while only a small number of reported rapes result in convictions.