Hainan school principal, official reportedly to be charged with rapes of schoolgirls

A school principal and a government official accused of sexually assaulting six primary school girls in Hainan province will soon be charged with rape, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday, citing sources with the city's prosecutors.

Police in the city of Wanning had initially focused their investigation on claims of child molestation but later found evidence that the girls may have been raped, the report said.

The latest findings contradict an earlier investigation by authorities in Wanning that said the suspects did not have sexual intercourse with the girls. But the conclusion was disputed by the parents, who said the girls had suffered physical injuries consistent with sexual intercourse.

The new findings have triggered a national outcry. Wanning police explained they had to interview the six girls, aged 12 and 13, at least three times because they had withheld critical information. It took police more than two weeks to conclude the investigation.

The six girls went missing on May 8 when they failed to show up for classes, and were found in a groggy state over the next two days - four in Haikou, the other two in Wanning.