Beautician convicted of blackmailing ‘cash machine’ ex-lover for HK$2.6 million

Court also finds Li Yanlin guilty of doxxing after she uploaded videos to YouTube revealing identity of married finance director she briefly dated

A Hong Kong court has convicted a beautician of doxxing and blackmail after she uploaded intimate photos and the personal details of a married finance director she had briefly dated, demanding he pay her HK$2.6 million (US$331,830) or she would expose the affair.

Deputy District Judge Ivy Chui Yee-mei on Monday found Li Yanlin guilty of doxxing offences related to four videos she uploaded to YouTube between May 2022 and March 2023. The clips contained images and the victim’s name, along with allegations of him “playing the field”.

The 46-year-old defendant, originally from mainland China, was also convicted of two counts of blackmail.

The victim’s identity was concealed during the hearing and he was only disclosed as being a director in the finance sector with a public profile.

The court earlier heard that Li and the victim, who is married, had a brief affair in 2021.

According to the victim’s testimony, he paid Li a monthly allowance of HK$40,000 while they were dating. Later that year, he also agreed to help Li pay off her debt on the mainland and transferred HK$800,000 to her.