Man who brutally attacked women at a restaurant in China jailed for 24 years
The main perpetrator of an assault against a group of women in China has been jailed for 24 years.
Chen Jizhi, was sentenced on Friday after a video emerged of him and a group of other men attacking women at a barbecue restaurant in Tangshan, a city in Hebei east of Beijing, in June.
In the viral video, Chen had started the assault on a woman after she rejected his advances and pushed away his hand.
He then put his hands on her, and dragged her out of her chair. He was joined quickly by members of his crew as the woman’s friends tried to stop his attack.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Surveillance footage of men assaulting two women at a restaurant in China sparked outrage on social media. The assault featured on Weibo's most discussed topics, with state TV calling for the suspects to be severely punished https://t.co/ht3A4REKWX pic.twitter.com/JfistfWzsr
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 12, 2022
The incident was caught on video from surveillance cameras in the restaurant.
Following the attack, two of the women spent time in intensive care while the video sparked a debate over the safety of women in China.
Initially, police arrested nine people, seven men and two women, for the attack the group.
Chen was also fined 320,000 yuan (£40,000) on top of his 24-year prison sentence.
The investigation over the public assault has evolved into a larger investigation over criminal activities and corruption.
Prosecutors later said they were charging 27 other people for crimes uncovered during the investigation.
