Man arrested over attempted hotel room sexual assault

[Photo: Renato Marques]

A mainland Chinese man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to sexually assault a non-resident woman he invited to Macau, while police are separately investigating a suspicious fire outside a shop in Areia Preta as a suspected arson case.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) said at a press conference Wednesday that the 31-year-old suspect had known the woman for three years and claimed to be skilled at gambling when he invited her to Macau. After arriving, she stayed in a hotel room registered under the man’s name.

According to the investigation, the suspect told the woman he was going gambling, leaving her alone in the room. He later returned, pushed her onto the bed and forcibly restrained her by pressing down on her body, arms and legs in an attempt to sexually assault her. The woman resisted and screamed for help, alerting other hotel guests, who called the police.

Public Security Police officers arrived and rescued the woman before referring the case to the PJ.

The woman sustained scratches and abrasions on her forearm and other parts of her body. The suspect also had multiple scratches on his face, neck and chest, which police believe were caused by the woman as she resisted.

In a separate case, the PJ said it received a notification from the Fire Services Bureau (CB) at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday about a suspicious fire outside a shop in Areia Preta. Firefighters were called to the scene at 6:12 a.m. after a resident reported the blaze.

The fire was extinguished, and no one was injured or required hospital treatment.

Following an initial investigation, the CB considered the cause of the fire suspicious and asked the PJ to investigate.

The case has been provisionally classified as suspected arson and referred to the force’s investigation department for follow-up.