Chinese film star accused of sex attack in Sydney hotel
A CHINESE movie star is in custody accused of sexually assaulting a woman with another man in one of Sydney’s most exclusive hotels.
Confidential
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A CHINESE movie star is in custody accused of sexually assaulting a woman with another man in one of Sydney’s most exclusive hotels.
Television and movie actor Yunxiang Gao and co-accused Jing Wang, both 35, allegedly sexually assaulted a 36-year-old woman at the Shangri-La Hotel at The Rocks on Monday.
Gao has starred in three movies, including Chinese box office hit Drug War in 2012 and 12 Chinese TV series including the popular historical drama the Legend of Mi Yue.
A police source likened him to a “Chinese Mel Gibson”.
He appeared via audio visual link from jail at Central Local Court yesterday where he was charged with aggravated sexual assault.
Gao and his co-accused Wang were shown on the screen together and were forced to perch on the same chair during the brief court appearance. Their lawyer said the pair would plead not guilty and would apply for bail at a later date.
According to a police statement, Gao and Wang were arrested after a woman made a complaint to police that she had been sexually assaulted.
The woman said she and the two men went to a hotel room at the Shangri-La on Monday where she was allegedly attacked by the pair.
Police say one man was arrested the following afternoon in his hotel room at the Shangri-La while a second man was arrested a short time later at Haymarket. The case will return to court in June.
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The pair had several supporters in court for their brief appearance yesterday. When the Daily Telegraph asked them outside the court what Gao was doing in Sydney, one supporter denied Gao was a well-known Chinese actor, saying he was just “a small potato in Singapore”.
Gao is married to fellow Chinese movie star and TV actor Xuan Dong who has starred in multiple Chinese films and TV series as well.
The couple wed in 2011 and had a daughter in June 2016. They held a lavish first birthday party for their girl nicknamed “Little Dimple” attended by other actors and celebrities.
There was even a concert in which Gao and Xuan performed in congratulating their daughter on hitting her first big milestone.
Gao’s rise to fame began in 2001 at the national finals of the China Auto Model Contest.
The break got him a coveted spot at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and sparked his acting career.
Drug War tells the story of a drug lord who turns police informant.