Chinese-born Canadian singer Kris Wu (born Wu Yifan) has been sentenced to 13 years in jail, bringing an end to one of China’s most high-profile sexual-assault cases to date. On Friday, a Beijing court announced in a social media statement that Wu been found guilty of raping three drunk women at his home in 2020. The 32-year-old was also convicted of gathering a crowd to engage in promiscuous activity in a 2018 incident involving two other intoxicated women. According to the court, Wu will be deported after serving his sentence. Per CNN, he was also separately fined around $83.7 million for tax evasion.
Wu first rose to fame as a member of the K-pop group EXO, but left the band in 2014 and pursued a lucrative solo career in China. He was detained on suspicion of rape in 2021 after a series of allegations sparked by college student Du Meizhu, his first public accuser. She alleged that Wu pressured her to drink until she lost consciousness, then raped her, which she suspected he had done to other young women. Many of Du’s social media supporters used the hashtag #girlshelpgirls, and the BBC reported that at least 24 women later came forward to accuse Wu of inappropriate behavior. According to a People translation, Du said on social media that she was grateful that Wu’s celebrity status had not spared him from punishment. “Because I have been exposed to rain, I also want to hold an umbrella for others,†she wrote after news of his sentencing broke. “I am very grateful to everyone for their support and psychological help in the past two years. Girls help girls.â€