Alibaba client jailed for sexual assault

A client of the Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba has been sentenced to 18 months in jail

A Chinese court has heard details surrounding an Alibaba employee, who says she was forced to drink alcohol before being sexually assaulted by a client.

The client of the Chinese e-commerce giant has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Meanwhile, another senior colleague, who was involved in the rape was fired and a criminal case against him was dropped.

The woman says the events took place on a work trip. But she was let go by Alibaba for reportedly spreading falsehoods, which damaged the company’s reputation.

It’s a landmark case because many sexual assault allegations do not make it to court in China.

The case is one of the few high-profile instances of men being held accountable for sexual assault in China.

The Alibaba employee went public last year, when she believed the firm failed to take action.

Police had previously said there was not enough evidence to charge the two men. The company’s Chief Executive Daniel Zhang says the company’s handling of the incident is a “humiliation”.