Woman jailed for 16 months after attacking nine Sheffield uni students in city centre

Chinese national Shan He will face deportation after she is released


A Chinese woman has been jailed for 16 months after attacking nine University of Sheffield students in Sheffield’s city centre last year.

Shan He, 34 years old, attacked nine Chinese students in the city centre in September 2021. Some of the assaults included the use of a hammer or bottle, leading to the victim requiring medical treatment, ITV reports.

The attacks gained coverage in Chinese media, leading to the Chinese Consulate-General in Manchester asking for “decisive measures” to protect international students in the future.

Appearing in Sheffield Crown Court, the former University of Sheffield student pleaded guilty to four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of battery. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

During her arrest for the incidents, He was in possession of a carrier bag which contained a hammer.

South Yorkshire Police have said Shan He, who moved to the UK to attend university in Sheffield, will face deportation upon the completion of her sentence.

Inspector Gareth Thomas, of Sheffield’s City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We know that this series of assaults last September caused considerable anxiety among the student communities living in our city, especially our Chinese student community, and I am grateful to both universities for their support during our inquiry.

“Neighbourhood officers dedicated a significant amount of time to this investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV footage from across the city centre to find the person responsible for these terrifying attacks.

“He’s victims have understandably been left incredibly distressed by what happened to them and what’s more, many of them were students from the Chinese community who had only recently arrived in Sheffield.

“We pride ourselves on Sheffield being an inclusive and welcoming place to study, but He’s awful crimes left those students feeling scared and incredibly vulnerable in a new city.”

Featured images via South Yorkshire Police and Raygar He on Unsplash.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Sheffield Hallam suspends its ‘low value’ English literature degree

Best friends killed in car crash just months before starting at Sheffield Hallam together

Sheffield Hallam is awarding former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell an honorary doctorate