Singer Denise Ho backpacked around Europe recently, and stayed at the houses of the locals during her trip. Last week, she posted on her Facebook page, and revealed that she had encountered a lecherous homeowner in Finland, but declined to reveal further details.
The media subsequently reported that the singer had “narrowly escaped being raped” and that she had to “escape through her window, with only a bra on her upper body”.
However,the 38-year-old posted a lengthy post on her Facebook yesterday and related her experience in Finland, in an attempt to clear up the rumours.
The singer had booked a room online in the house of a family of three, which had good reviews. However, once she arrived, she saw that the female owner looked tired and very ‘out of it’, and didn’t answer her questions properly as well. There was also numerous alcohol bottles and cigarette butts in the house, which was when Denise started to get a bit suspicious.
The next day, she met the male owner for the first time, who asked for a hug from her. Denise had initially thought that it was “the custom of the Finnish” to ask for hugs, and thought nothing of it.
That night, however, the male owner hugged her again when she was in her towel going down to the sauna. Later, he even intentionally walked into the sauna room and appeared “noticeably aroused.”
An “alarmed” and scared Denise immediately escaped back to her room and started thinking how to get back to the city centre, which was 30 minutes away. While she was thinking, she heard the owners quarrelling, and took advantage of their distraction to leave the house.
As it was deserted outside, with “no cars around, and an ice-covered road”, Denise was left with no choice but to walk to the city centre whilst constantly looking back to ensure that she wasn’t being followed. After reaching the city, she checked into a hotel immediately.
The singer also explained that she was posting up what exactly happened to her to refute the rumours reported by the tabloids, and clarified that she was not raped, as “it would be more accurate to say I was sexually harassed.”
Finally, she reminded other lone female travellers to be careful, and advised them not to stay silent if they meet with similar circumstances. She also urged them to quickly escape and confide in their loved ones, and to report it to the police if it was a serious case.