Beijing Venture Firm COO Fired for Groping Woman on Plane

Beijing Venture Firm COO Fired for Groping Woman on Plane
Jan 24, 2017 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s Note: Li Yuanrong was recently fired from his post as COO at Beijing venture capital firm Xinghe Chuangfu after he confessed to groping a sleeping woman on a flight in early January. The woman, who had woken up during the incident, publicly accused him in a post on Weibo.

Xinghe Chuangfu venture capital firm COO Li Yuanrong resigned from the company after he was charged with sexual harassment on a flight from Shenzhen to Beijing. On January 4, a female Netizen posted that Li Yuanrong had groped her chest on a Hainan Airlines flight. Li Yuanrong denied the charge, but later admitted that the allegation was true. The COO resigned from his position at Xinghe Chuangfu and was sentenced to five days in administrative detention.  

 

She Said, He Said

The female Netizen published a long Weibo post describing the incident on January 2. She said she had taken flight HU7702 from Shenzhen to Beijing with her sister. The man sitting to her left on the plane had groped her while she was asleep on the plane. “He did not realize that I had woken up,” she said, “When I woke up, his hands were still there. I shouted and my sister woke up and saw his hand on my chest and begin to curse at him. This happened at 1:30 AM.”

The accused man, Xinghe Chuangfu COO Li Yuanrong, denied the allegation, saying that it “absolutely did not happen.” He said that the Weibo post was presented without evidence and that her only witness was her companion. He was questioned by the police, but continued to deny the incident. He eventually hired a lawyer and released a statement in which he confessed to the crime.

Fired and Detained

Xinghe Chuangfu released an official Weibo statement on January 8. “We are shocked and saddened by the announcement of the public security bureau’s judgement against Li Yuanrong. We are angered by his behavior to try to hide his wrongdoings.” The company also offered its deepest sympathies to Li Yuanrong’s victim.

“Li Yuanrong joined Xinghe Chuangfu on November 12, 2015. As of January 5, 2017 he no longer works for our company in any capacity. On January 3, 2017 the company saw the media reported related to the incident. We attached great importance to the issue, and moved forward in a responsible, objective and rational manner. We asked Li Yuanrong many times about the cause of the incident and spoke to the police to better understand the relevant circumstances. Then, we released a statement in a timely manner. We hope he can recognize and correct his mistakes and accept his punishment,” said Xinghe Chuangfu in a statement.

Li Yuanrong was detained by the police on January 6, and sentenced to five-days administrative detention.

The female Netizen in the case posted on Weibo, “Li Yuanrong has promised to come apologize to me in person and I will accept his apology. Mr. Li has accepted his punishment in the hopes that he can return to a normal life in the future. I will not comment further on the matter and do not want it affect my normal work and life,” she said.

How Can Victims Prove Harassment?

Director of Beijing CommScope law firm Wu Lihong said that in cases of alleged sexual harassment in public places, victims can use video footage or other recordings as indirect evidence. “In addition, it is best to ask witnesses to help in the police investigation. Witnesses can help prove a claim of sexual harassment.” Victims should try to record sounds or video from the incident on their mobile phone, and shout to bring attention to themselves when it is safe to do so. Physical evidence must also be saved.

Source: QQ News 

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2 Comments

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donnie3857

Yeah Right! more points please.

Feb 10, 2017 21:46 Report Abuse

retiredinchina

why would you want to cop a feel of a couple of soft golf balls for and lose you career and the shame? perhaps the toilet was out of toilet paper and he was trying to get paper out of her bra.

Jan 24, 2017 09:28 Report Abuse