Chinese doctor jailed in Berlin rape network case

A Berlin court sentenced Chinese doctor Shao Zhiting to five years in prison on Wednesday for his role in an online sexual abuse network that operated under the code name “Driving School for Experts”.

The court said the 32-year-old repeatedly gave medical advice on sedating women who were victims of the network. It also convicted him of sexually assaulting his fiancee.

The network operated through a Telegram chat group. The court said Shao advised other men on dosing drugs including triazolam, a sedative mainly used to treat insomnia. It found that his advice helped group leader Zhang Dapeng rape a woman in January 2024.

Eight men, all but one of them Chinese, have been implicated in the network. A Frankfurt court sentenced Zhang in February to 14 years in prison for seven rapes and four attempted murders.

Another group member, a 28-year-old Chinese master's student in robotics identified only as J. Zhongyi, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for repeatedly drugging and raping his girlfriend and filming the abuse.

The cases have drawn significant attention among Chinese communities in Germany, with large courtroom audiences and discussion on social media.