 鲜花( 3)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
A prominent University of Alberta researcher and his wife are facing charges related to the alleged sexual assault and confinement of a minor, the Journal has learned.
9 e9 @* C2 D9 @$ A# j
8 L/ V- s0 |) C4 f) [Zhixiang Wang, 51, is facing one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual contact with a child for offences allegedly carried out between Nov. 2009 and May 31, 2010, court records show.1 e+ ]' r( i6 b% g* ~/ C
3 A; g, L# D8 |5 n
His wife, Xinmei Chen, 49, is charged with one count of unlawful confinement of a child between May 31, 2010 and Jan. 29, 2013, the records show.7 Y% ~+ F; F) Z
, a7 G) U/ h9 w0 v m1 o6 qThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.0 s. }, N- u7 {
) F: Z( J# |9 d9 u6 i- x
Both were arrested at Edmonton police headquarters and charged on Feb. 14, police spokesman Scott Pattison said in an email. There are no other potential victims, he added.
3 `6 ~# Q' m' u# U) i2 I4 G5 I/ g5 r
Wang, an associate professor in the university’s department of medical genetics, was named a senior heritage scholar in 2000 by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.+ P/ h$ }1 u. v) q2 C
, P+ i7 d/ v( S. ?) y$ AAccording to an article about Wang in the foundation’s fall 2003 issue, Wang joined the U of A in 1999. He had been studying cell biology of locusts, but according to the article, made the switch to medical-related research in 1994 while pursuing post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto.# A4 \# ^+ R! E# u- {
% q7 g* X1 c# S: _# ^At the time, the article says, Wang’s research focused on a protein found in most body fluids that, in high levels, can lead to the development of breast cancer.
# Y& T7 C3 i( x( S) `/ Y5 E2 s/ o( U6 g- q2 h: h
He has numerous academic publications to his name, including several authored with Chen, who is listed on the U of A website as a technician working in Wang’s lab.
7 A8 @7 S4 \9 r
( T8 H$ ^3 M! TWang’s cancer research is considered among the most promising in Canada. In 2005, he was awarded a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society worth more than $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
" Y7 r; E2 e+ I; Q. h7 e1 g- N6 v6 ?) y" z4 q" A; J2 _
U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
6 G1 a9 l4 _8 T' s. G- K. X9 O
% ]8 E: H1 ?; C, y: K+ ?- F) nThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said." J; c, e E: |: r9 @) L
4 J, r& T1 j- U5 p4 H! k" ]: a( _
“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said.5 x+ h6 m1 L* k9 e
* m3 J9 g3 ~1 e! m. HBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.
' b5 F' ]6 Y0 s
5 \4 Y0 F) ?! k1 s- Q; WTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.$ c9 n+ ]& \; M- o
" a) q9 D- y1 C9 L5 e
|
|