Imprisonment of 24 Years Sentenced to Main Perpetrator of 'Female Group Assault' Reversing Middle Finger Gesture

Chinese Court Sentences Leader Cheon Mo to 24 Years Imprisonment and 320,000 Yuan Fine
Co-conspirators Totaling 27 Also Sentenced to 6 Months to 11 Years

Scene of a group assault on women at a restaurant in Tangsan city in June [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] Severe sentences have been handed down to the gangsters who collectively assaulted four women at a restaurant in Hebei Province, China, last June, sparking national outrage.

According to China Xin Jingbao on the 23rd, the Langfang City People's Court in Hebei Province sentenced Cheon Mo, the ringleader of the perpetrators involved in the group assault on women at a restaurant in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, to 24 years in prison and a fine of 320,000 yuan (approximately 63 million KRW).

Cheon, the head of a small violent organization consisting of seven members, received a heavy sentence as not only the assault but also other crimes committed since 2012, including assault, threats, illegal detention, operating gambling establishments, and robbery, were combined in the sentencing.

The court sentenced a total of 27 defendants, including accomplices in this case and those who participated in Cheon's other criminal activities, to prison terms ranging from six months to 11 years.

Earlier, at around 2:40 a.m. on June 10, a major social uproar was caused by an incident in which seven men brutally assaulted four women in their twenties at a restaurant in Tangshan City.

Cheon sexually harassed one of the women in the group by touching her back while they were dining. When the woman pushed him away in refusal, five members of Cheon's gang violently attacked her and her companions both inside and outside the restaurant.

As a result, two of the assaulted women sustained injuries such as facial lacerations, and the other two who tried to stop the assault suffered minor injuries.

CCTV footage capturing the scene and photos of the hospitalized victims were released, provoking public outrage and spreading distrust in public security and police forces.

In response, Tangshan City launched the "Thunderstorm" campaign (meaning a surprise and swift operation) to combat various violent crimes, and Hebei Province initiated a 100-day special crime crackdown.

The Hebei Provincial Public Security Bureau announced on the 1st that as a result of the 100-day special crackdown, over 27,600 criminal suspects were arrested and 41 criminal organizations were dismantled.