Chinese-Canadian ex-pop star Kris Wu (吳亦凡) 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 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 (都美竹) last year accused Wu of date-raping her when she was 17, resulting in a barrage of public criticism and luxury brands dropping deals with him.
Photo: AP
Wu was sentenced to “11 years and six months of imprisonment for rape,” the court in Beijing’s Chaoyang District said, adding that 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 (US$84 million) for tax evasion, state news agency 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,” Xinhua reported.
He also “underpaid 84 million yuan of taxes,” the news agency said.
The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 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.”
Wu was previously one of China’s most bankable stars, but brands including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, L’Oreal Men and Porsche suspended their partnerships with him over the case.
And more victims spoke out online in the wake of the initial claims, accusing Wu’s staff of predatory behavior, including inviting them to boozy karaoke parties.
The hashtags “girls help girls,” “girls helping girls” and “girls help girls time” — where women expressed solidarity with Du — were censored from Chinese social media in the wake of the scandal.
A trending hashtag on Chinese social media — “the law is the lowest standard of morals” — also racked up 830 million views as people complained about the high legal threshold required for women to prove sexual assault in court.
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