TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Canadian actor Christopher Downs on Wednesday (Feb. 21) denied allegations that he had physically abused his ex-wife, Taiwanese actress and singer Phoebe Huang (黄佳千).
A divorce lawsuit between Downs and Huang is being heard by a Shilin District Court in Taipei, reported UDN. Downs held a press conference to respond to allegations of domestic violence and threatened to file lawsuits against third parties who level such accusations
According to Mirror Media, Huang alleged that Downs had slapped her three times and covered her face with a pillow for 10 seconds among other purported violent acts when they lived together in Canada. Huang said that she was accompanied by a neighbor surnamed Tung when seeking medical treatment for the resulting injuries.
Taiwanese actress Lang Tsu-yun (郎祖筠) claimed to the magazine that Downs would "use his elbow to hit her chest because injuries from such actions cannot be easily detected." She also claimed that a friend heard Downs using vulgar language to insult Huang.
Downs claimed that he had never engaged in domestic violence. Downs denied that there was any evidence in Canada or Taiwan that he had committed such acts.
He argued that if Huang's accusations were true, he would have been in prison long ago, questioning how he could still be a free man.
Downs claimed that the prosecution had dropped the charges due to weak evidence. However, Huang has not withdrawn the case, leading to conflicting statements by both parties.
Regarding Lang's comments, Downs claimed that Lang was not present at the scene of the purported assault, and he questioned how she could provide a detailed account of the alleged incident. Downs then threatened to sue Lang, Tung, and another witness, actor Bobby Dou.
As for Tung's accusations, Downs said that she lives a 20-minute drive away from his residence, so she cannot be considered a "neighbor."
Regarding the discrepancy with reports of Huang's injuries, with the magazine saying "swelling on the right side of the face," while the police record indicates the left side, Downs claimed that after their argument, he and Huang did not meet for several days and had no contact. Downs said he found it implausible for the hospital and police records to differ.
