Canadian-Chinese ex-pop star Kris Wu jailed for rape
Chinese-Canadian ex-pop star Kris Wu has been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of rape, a Chinese court said on Friday.
Wu originally shot to fame as a member of the K-pop boyband EXO, before leaving in 2014 to launch a successful solo career as a singer, actor, model and variety show judge.
Nineteen-year-old student Du Meizhu last year accused Wu of date-raping her when she was 17, resulting in a barrage of public criticism.
Wu was sentenced to “11 years and six months of imprisonment for rape”, the court in Beijing’s Chaoyang district said on Friday, adding he “was also sentenced to imprisonment of one year and 10 months for the crime of gathering people to commit adultery”.
“It was found that the defendant Wu Yifan [Kris Wu] had forced sexual relations with three women at his residence from November to December 2020 when they were drunk and did not know or were not able to resist,” the court said.
Wu will serve a 13-year term before being deported, it added.
He was also fined 600 million yuan (3 billion baht) for tax evasion, Xinhua reported, citing Beijing’s tax authorities.
Wu “used a fake business to convert the nature of his income and falsely declare it, and evaded 95 million yuan of tax by concealing personal income through multiple domestic and overseas affiliated companies”, it reported, adding he also “underpaid 84 million yuan of taxes”.
Ottawa said it was “aware that a decision was rendered” in the case, adding that consular officials had been present for the verdict announcement and were “providing consular assistance to Mr Wu and his family”.
A spokesperson declined to provide further information “due to privacy considerations”.
Prestigious brands including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, L’Oreal Men and Porsche suspended partnerships over the case. And more victims spoke out online in the wake of the initial claims, accusing Wu’s staff of predatory behaviour including inviting them to boozy karaoke parties.