A famous Chinese actor dubbed as the ‘Hugh Jackman of China’ will be freed on $3million bail after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 36-year-old woman after the filming of a TV series in Sydney.
Yunxiang Gao is set to return to his $6000-a-month rental home in Sydney’s North Shore and has been ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and follow a strict night curfew since he was granted bail in NSW Supreme Court.
The Chinese actor appeared by video link from Silverwater Jail and said ‘thank you’ after he was granted bail, ABC reports.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault in company for allegedly assaulting a woman at Sydney’s Shangri-La hotel during an after party on March 27.
A famous Chinese actor Yunxiang Gao (pictured, right) dubbed as the ‘Hugh Jackman of China’ will be freed on a $3million bail after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 36-year-old woman after the filming of a TV series in Sydney
Gao’s wife Xuan Dong (pictured) told the court she intended to live in Australia and lease a $1,500-a-week apartment with her mother-in-law until the ordeal was over
He and his producer Jing Wang were accused of sexually assaulting the woman in the luxury hotel.
The court was told police had collected DNA evidence from the hotel room containing the actor’s blood on a doona and semen on a pillow case.
The two men had been celebrating in an after party held at Red Chilli Sichuan restaurant in Chinatown followed by Gala KTV Karaoke Club after filming TV series Love in Aranya, police said at the time.
On Thursday Justice Lucy McCallum said knowledge of consent translated to Gao and Wang would be critically assessed at trial.
While she said the crown case on lack of consent was very strong in some respects, she admits there are concerns raised on whether the complainant communicated this lack of consent.
Justice McCallum also questioned whether the woman went to Wang’s hotel room with the knowledge that Gao would also be joining them.
The judge said CCTV from the hotel revealed times where the woman pulled away from Wang’s kiss and other times when she appeared to lean into him.
Justice McCallum said her decision to grant the actor bail ‘should not be taken as an expression of doubt as to [the woman’s] truthfulness.’
When the decision was handed down, cheers and clapping circulated the NSW Supreme Court with one person yelling, ‘congratulations,’ the Daily Telegraph reported.
Gao’s wife and Chinese actress Xuan Dong, 35, sat in the front row of the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday for the bail hearing of her husband.
Justice Lucy McCallum (pictured) said knowledge of consent translated to Gao and Wang would be critically assessed at trial
Ms Dong, who was accompanied by her daughter, 2, told the court she intended to live in Australia and lease a $1,500-a-week apartment with her mother-in-law until the ordeal was over.
The supportive wife declined to comment outside court, shielded by security guards and escorted into a white van.
The judge also expressed skepticism due to his large amount of wealth and ability to pay the $3 million bail.
She’s fearful of Gao fleeing the country because of the lack of an extradition treaty between China and Australia which is why she ordered the electronic bracelet and curfew restrictions.
‘Australia has no extradition treaty with China and if he was to flee he would not be able to be brought back to Australia to face the charges,’ she said.
There are strict bail restrictions that Gao must follow. He must stay at his wife’s rented Chatswood apartment, surrender his passport and the passports of his family living in Australia, report to the police station twice daily and use only one mobile phone. He is also not allowed to go within 100m of Sydney International Airport.
Mr Gao remains in prison but is likely to be released on bail in one week once his electronic anklet has been fitted.
He will return to court for his trial next month.
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