Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang's lawyer casts doubt on rape accuser's claims

SYDNEY -  Did a woman who is accusing Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang (above) of rape make up the story to avoid getting into an argument with her husband?

A lawyer for the actor, who is charged with sexually assaulting the woman in a Sydney hotel in March, also pointed to inconsistencies in what she alleged and what CCTV footage shows.

"She knew at 4.30 in the morning that she was going home to her husband, whom she had taken deliberate steps to avoid talking to that night.

"When she got home, she did not go and tell her husband what had happened," lawyer John Korn told the court. "Was it a situation where she stayed out all night, she engaged in consensual behaviour... and needed to avoid a situation with her husband?"

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mr Korn was applying for the woman to give evidence to determine whether the case should proceed to trial in the District Court, even as Gao faced seven additional charges over the March 27 incident.

Gao, 36, who was previously charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault, is said to have committed the offences while celebrating the end of shooting a television series, called Love In Aranya, with the production crew.

The police said Gao and another man, a producer, who also faces charges, had sex with the woman.

But Mr Korn said CCTV footage at a karaoke bar earlier in the night showed that she was "consensually engaging in kissing and cuddling" with the other man.

The judge is expected to give her decision on Mr Korn's application today.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.