Kris Wu to serve 13-year jail term in China for rape before being deported

BEIJING – Chinese-Canadian former pop star Kris Wu has been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of rape, a Chinese court said on Friday, following a scandal that drew widespread condemnation.

Wu was sentenced to 11 years and six months of imprisonment for rape, a court in Beijing’s Chaoyang district said, adding he “was also sentenced to imprisonment of one year and 10 months for the crime of gathering people to commit adultery”.

The court said investigations showed that from November to December 2020, the man also known as Wu Yifan raped three women. He will serve a 13-year term before being deported, the court said.

Wu originally shot to fame as a member of the K-pop boy band EXO, before leaving in 2014 to launch a successful solo career as a singer, actor, model and variety show judge.

Last year, 19-year-old student Du Meizhu

accused Wu of date-raping her

when she was 17, resulting in a barrage of public criticism and luxury brands dropping deals with him.

More alleged victims spoke out online

in the wake of those claims, accusing Wu’s staff of predatory behaviour, including inviting them to boozy karaoke parties.

The saga has

evoked China’s #MeToo movement

, which saw a wave of women come forward in 2018 voicing experiences of sexual harassment – sometimes involving powerful public figures. AFP