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Prominent Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu arrested for allegedly raping teen
One of China’s most popular singer-actors, Wu acted in the 2017 Hollywood movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage, starring Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone
Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been arrested two weeks after being detained for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl while she was drunk two years ago, a Beijing court has announced.
One of China’s most popular singer-actors, Wu also acted in the 2017 Hollywood movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage, starring Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone.
He was also a member of a famous South Korean pop band before returning to China a few years ago.
The prosecutor’s office of the Beijing district of Chaoyang was quoted in the Chinese state media as saying in a statement that Wu’s arrest was formally approved on Monday.
The court gave no details of the charges or the sentencing.
Chinese state media has said that Wu, whose Chinese name is Wu Yifan, could be jailed for 10 years. In China, rape usually carries a sentence between three to 10 years of imprisonment.
Wu grew up in Guangzhou in south China and in Vancouver, Canada. Police have said he is a Canadian citizen.
Wu, one of China’s biggest stars, faces a series of sexual abuse accusations from a 19-year-old student identified as Du Meizhu.
Wu, 30, had earlier denied the accusation by a teenager that he had sex with her while she was drunk.
Du’s allegations emerged in July on Chinese social media platform Weibo, when she alleged that Wu had sexually assaulted her while she was drunk at his home where she said she had gone for a casting interview.
Du said she was 17 at the time. In China, the age of consent is 14.
“Du previously revealed to the media that Wu used various methods to identify and lure young girls for sex. Du claimed that the number of victims, including herself, far exceeds eight, among whom two are minors,” The Global Times reported, quoting Du.
Du said that she had returned Wu the hush money, about 500,000 yuan ($77,166), in installments and was ready to go through legal procedures, the report said.
Global luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Porsche and several Chinese ones severed ties with Wu soon after the allegations emerged.
