Datong court upholds prison sentence in rape case

On Wednesday, the Datong Intermediate People's Court upheld a three-year prison sentence for a man who raped his fiancee. The chief judge confirmed the conviction was supported by a complete and credible evidence chain, as public scrutiny of the case grows. The defendant had appealed the original verdict.

As discovered during the initial trial held by the Yanggao County People's Court in December 2023, the man, surnamed Xi, met the victim through a matchmaking agency on Jan 30, 2023. They became engaged just months later, on May 1.

The assault took place on the evening of May 2, following their engagement celebration, when he ignored the victim's resistance and forced intercourse at a residence in Yanggao. The victim reported the incident later that night. He was placed under criminal detention on May 5 after a police investigation.

During the second-instance trial held on March 25, the court upheld that Xi's action of forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse against the victim's will constituted the crime of rape.

According to the chief judge of the Datong court, the facts uncovered in the initial trial were clear, the provided evidence was reliable and sufficient, the conviction was accurate and the legal trial procedures were sound.

The court also dismissed online claims that the victim's family used the report to extort money, stating there was no evidence of coercion or financial demands linked to the case.

Before the first-instance court registered the case, the victim returned 100,000 yuan ($13,672) worth of betrothal gifts and two rings to the matchmaking agency, but Xi refused to accept them back.

The chief judge also responded to other key issues in the case that have stirred online attention, including reasons for the charge of rape, the main evidence for establishing the rape and the situation regarding dowry disputes.

The chief judge stated that the victim clearly expressed opposition to premarital sexual activity and exhibited clear resistance during the incident. That fact and her strong reaction afterward, were sufficient to prove that the defendant had violated the victim's will and forcefully engaged in sexual intercourse with her.

Furthermore, forensic evidence confirmed the presence of Xi's semen on the bedsheet and a mixed DNA profile of the man and the victim.

Additionally, the state of the hymen cannot be used as evidence for confirming or denying the crime of rape, as clarified in relevant judicial documents and cases in our country, the chief judge said.