The court in Chaoyang District said investigations showed that from November to December 2020, Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, raped three women. “Wu Yifan took advantage of three drunken women… in his home,” the court said on its official WeChat account. Formerly a member of K-pop group Exo, the superstar returned to China in 2014 to pursue a solo career. Wu was arrested in Beijing on July 31, 2021, after an 18-year-old Chinese student publicly accused him of soliciting her and other girls, some under the age of 18, to have sex with him. At the time, the student told the media Wu had lured her into having sex when she was 17 after plying her with alcohol. The court also found him guilty of the crime of gathering a crowd for sexual indecency in July 2018, it said. The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, although state media reported that its officials attended the sentencing. Wu was also ordered to pay 600 million yuan (69 million pounds) for concealing personal income and other tax-related offenses, the tax agency said. Wu avoided 95 million yuan in taxes from 2019 to 2020 by hiding personal income through domestic and foreign affiliates and paid 84 million yuan in underpaid taxes, authorities said. At the time of his booking, Wu was an ambassador for 15 brands, including Bulgari, Lancôme, Louis Vuitton and Porsche, which immediately cut ties with him. The court said Wu would be deported, although lawyers in China have said such deportations usually take place after the sentence is completed.
