Chinese Canadian pop star Kris Wu sentenced to 13 years in China on rape, group sex charges
Performer was accused of luring women, teens with promises of jobs and other opportunities
A Chinese court on Friday sentenced Chinese Canadian pop star Kris Wu to 13 years in prison on charges including rape.
Beijing's Chaoyang District Court said Wu was given 11 years and six months for raping three women in 2020, and one year and 10 months for the "crime of assembling a crowd to engage in sexual promiscuity" for a 2018 event in which he and others assaulted two women they had gotten drunk.
The court said the three victims in the rape case had also been drunk and were unable to consent.
It said a combined 13-year sentence was agreed on and Wu would be immediately deported after serving his time.
"According to the facts ... the nature, circumstances and harmful consequences of the crime, the court made the above judgment," the court said in an online statement.
A Canadian diplomat was in court to hear the sentencing, it said.
Fine for tax evasion
Wu was also slapped with a fine of 600 million yuan ($110 million Cdn) for evading taxes by massively underreporting his earnings from performances, advertisements and other sources of income.
The June trial of the 32-year-old former member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO was closed to the public to protect the victims' privacy.
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Wu has been detained since August 2021 while police conducted an investigation in response to comments online that he "repeatedly lured young women" to have sex, according to a police statement at that time.
That year, a teenager accused him of having sex with her while she was drunk. Wu, known in Chinese as Wu Yifan, denied the accusation.
The teenager then said seven other women contacted her to say Wu seduced them with promises of jobs and other opportunities. She said some were under 18.
Rape is punishable by three to 10 years in prison, although exceptional cases can result in harsher sentences up to death. The second charge Wu faced is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Wu grew up in Guangzhou in China and in Vancouver. He left the group EXO in 2014 after being a member for two years to pursue a solo career in China.
At the time of his detention, Wu was an ambassador for 15 brands, such as Bulgari, Lancome, Louis Vuitton and Porsche, all of which immediately severed ties with him.
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
With files from Reuters