Singer Kris Wu charged with rape in China
Chinese-Canadian rapper and singer Kris Wu Yifan has been formally arrested and charged with rape, prosecutors in Beijing said.
The 30-year-old, one of China’s most influential young celebrities, had been accused of date rape by teenage beauty influencer Du Meizhu and was detained by police on July 31.
In a series of posts on the social media platform Weibo, Du, 18, claimed Wu had raped her and other women – claims the singer denied.
Chinese law allows a maximum detention period of 37 days for criminal investigation before either a formal arrest or release without charge.
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Rape usually carries a sentence of between three and 10 years, but can be higher if there are aggravating circumstances.
Monday’s statement from the Chaoyang district procuratorate announcing the charges did not give Wu’s full name, only referring to him as “the suspect surnamed Wu and name ending with fan” – a standard practice in China and the form used in the Beijing police statement that said he had been detained.
In an investigation report released on July 22, the Beijing police rejected Wu’s claims about his relationship with Du . Police accused him of luring her to his home in December on the pretext of selecting her to appear in a music video, giving her alcohol and later having sex with her.
Wu transferred 32,000 yuan (S$6,700) to Du for online shopping three days later.
The two continued to communicate on China’s instant messaging platform WeChat until April 2021, according to the police.
In that statement the police said they were also investigating allegations that Wu had date-raped other young women.
The singer, who is a Canadian national, 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.
But since Du’s allegations spread on Chinese social media, Wu lost his deals with major brands, including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, L’Oreal Men and Porsche.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
