Edinburgh student who raped woman and forced her to do his assignments has been jailed

TW: Rape, abuse

An Edinburgh student has been jailed for six years after raping a woman and forcing her to complete his university assignments.

Ziyi Shi, a Chinese national, appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing. A jury found him guilty of three charges of rape and abusive behaviour towards the woman.

The offences took place between September 2022 and January 2024. Shi denied the charges during his trial and claimed that their sexual activity was consensual.

The court heard that Shi controlled and abused the woman during their relationship.

He forced her to complete university assignments for him while he studied electronics and electrical engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

Shi also made insulting comments about her appearance. His behaviour included physical violence.

On one occasion, he bit the woman after she refused to have intercourse with him. She had also refused to let him look through her mobile phone.

During another incident, Shi kicked the woman repeatedly and slapped her face. He also held her by the neck and poured water over her clothing and camera.

The court heard that Shi raped the woman when she could not consent. Some attacks happened while she was asleep or heavily intoxicated.

One rape took place at student accommodation in March 2023. Shi removed the woman’s underwear before grabbing and raping her.

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Another incident occurred on November 30th or 1st December 2023. Shi grabbed the woman by the neck, choked her and repeatedly slapped her before raping her.

The woman later told a university student adviser about the abuse. The adviser described her as extremely distressed.

Judge Thomas Welsh KC sentenced Shi to six years in prison. He described the offences as extremely serious and said the harm caused to the woman was “incalculable”.

The judge considered Shi’s age, lack of previous convictions and information about his mental health. However, he said the seriousness of the offences made a prison sentence unavoidable.

Shi also breached an undertaking not to contact the woman.

The University of Edinburgh suspended him after he was charged. He must now remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

If you have been affected by the content of this article, you can contact the Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123. Alternatively, you can contact Shout, a 24/7 text messaging service, by texting the word “Shout” to 85258.

If you are a University of Edinburgh student seeking support, you can access wellbeing and mental health support through the University’s Student Wellbeing Service and the Edinburgh University Students’ Association. You can also access support through the University’s Chaplaincy and multi-faith services. Immediate help on campus is available through University Security.

If you are an Edinburgh Napier University student seeking support, you can access wellbeing and counselling services through the University’s Student Wellbeing & Support Service. The University’s Chaplaincy and faith support services are also available. Immediate support on campus can be accessed through Campus Security.

If you are a Heriot-Watt University student seeking support, you can access wellbeing and counselling services through the University’s Student Wellbeing Services. Chaplaincy and multi-faith support are also available. Immediate support on campus can be accessed through University Security.

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