International student detained for alleged dormitory break-in and sexual assault

The female dormitory building involved in the incident at China Three Gorges University. (Photo: Screenshot)

(ECNS) - A male foreign student at China Three Gorges University has been expelled and detained on suspicion of sexual assault after allegedly breaking into a female dormitory building, according to a university notice issued on Wednesday.

According to posts and videos shared on the internet by local residents in Yichang, Hubei Province, where the university is located, the male student climbed from a first-floor window to the second floor at around 2 a.m. on Sunday before entering the room to harass a sleeping female student. 

The female, awakened by the incident, fought the intruder and was struck in the face before escaping to seek help. A dormitory supervisor was alerted and subsequently contacted the local police.

Police officers said they had located the international student, adding that the case is being handled "in accordance with the law," and the final results will be announced through an official notice.

The university's international student dormitory is located across the road from the affected female dormitory, according to a source claiming to be a student at the university, who said that prior to the incident, the university had already installed "metal spike barriers" on the first floor following reports of missing underwear.

China Three Gorges University said in the note that it will "enhance campus safety measures and make every effort to protect students’ legitimate rights and maintain normal campus order."

Neither the police nor the university specified the nationality of the foreign student.

(By Zhang Jiahao)