British women serve time for alleged assault

The Guangzhou public security bureau said in a statement on Wednesday that two British women arrested for their part in an altercation with three Chinese shopkeepers in June have now completed their administrative punishment after spending 38 days in jail.

The women have been released from detention, according to authorities, and are now free to leave China.

The two women, Modupe Idowu and Esther Jubril Badmos, were on holiday in Guangzhou on June 21, when they found themselves in an argument with the owners of a shoe shop in the city's Liwan district.

According to police who attended the incident, three Chinese shopkeepers suffered slight injures after the argument turned violent. The shopkeepers allege that they were attacked by the two holidaymakers, and also claim that some property in the shop was damaged.

The British women were detained by police on June 21, and moved to a detention center on June 22, where they remained until July 29, pending a hearing.

The families of the detainees contacted British consular officials and arranged for legal representation.

According to British newspaper The Daily Mail, the Chinese shopkeepers had demanded compensation of around 190,000 yuan ($31,000), but after negotiations through lawyers, the British women agreed to pay around 42,000 yuan.

Public security bureau officials told China Daily on Wednesday that any compensation arrangements made were between the accused and the alleged victims, and were not the business of the police.

Officials say that the British women came to the compensation agreement on Aug 5, and they have since been free to leave China.

However, according to the report in The Daily Mail, the women claimed that they were unable to leave China immediately due to delays in the issuing of new visas.

The newspaper also repeated claims on the part of the British women that they had been attacked by the Chinese shopkeepers after attempting to change an order they had previously made in the shop, and that they had themselves sustained injuries requiring medical treatment.