Chinese-Canadian rapper Kris Wu tried for rape by Beijing court
- Wu, 31, was detained last year after being accused of rape by teenage beauty influencer Du Meizhu
- A verdict will come at a later date
The trial was not open to the public to protect the victim’s privacy, the Chaoyang District People’s Court court said. The verdict will be handed down at a later date.
Wu was detained a week after Du, then 18, made a series of posts on Chinese social media platform Weibo claiming he had raped her when she was 17. Later, she alleged that several other women, including two minors, had reached out to her to share similar experiences of being lured into having sex by Wu – claims the singer denied.
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Pop star Kris Wu detained by police in China over rape allegations
The Chaoyang branch of Beijing police said in a statement last year that it was looking into accusations posted online that Wu had “repeatedly deceived young women into sexual relations”.
China’s top law enforcement agency, the ruling Communist Party’s political and legal affairs commission, commented on Wu’s detention on its social media platform: “On Chinese land, it is necessary to abide by Chinese laws. We do not wrong; we do not indulge. We take facts as the basis and the law as the criterion.”
Rape usually carries a sentence of between three and 10 years, but it can be longer if there are aggravating circumstances.
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The crime of group licentiousness applies to anyone over 16 years of age who organises or frequently takes part in group sex with three or more people. Whoever takes the lead or repeatedly participates in such activities faces a sentence of no more than five years, but this could be longer if the crime involves luring minors to participate in such activities. The age of consent in China is 14.
Chinese-born Wu is a Canadian national and rose to fame as part of the hit K-pop boy band EXO. After a messy split, Wu established himself in the Chinese market, modelling for dozens of well-known brands and taking part as a judge on shows such as The Rap of China.
