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Vernon Davies' argument with massage parlour staff racked up more than 15 million views on social media and led to calls for him to be beaten to death. Photo: Sam Tsang

'Half-hearted' massage row gets English teacher jailed then thrown out of China as social media erupts in fury

'Stupid' altercation went viral and landed Scot two weeks in mainland jail

Bryan Harris

After an ordeal in mainland China last year that saw him locked in a shed-like prison and then hastily deported, Vernon Davies must view his current residence in Chungking Mansions as a relative oasis of calm.

The young English-language teacher from Scotland never imagined a "simple misunderstanding" over a massage payment in a second-tier city of Henan province would land him two weeks in a freezing cell, followed by a quick eviction from a country he had grown to love.

But that was exactly what happened when pictures of the altercation in Zhengzhou city - his home at the time - went viral online, prompting social media users to put him "on trial".

"It was a small thing that was blown out of proportion," Davies, 22, said in his first press interview after the event in November sparked a media storm across China and even spawned death threats.

Davies' story is a cautionary one, reflecting potential pitfalls facing many foreigners in mainland China, particularly those outside the main cities.

The entire ordeal arose out of a dispute about the payment of a massage, which Davies deemed to be "half-hearted" and not professional.

"Looking back, it was really stupid. It was only about £2 [HK$24] we were arguing over," he said.

However, the argument escalated, and when employees of the massage parlour took his phone as collateral, he reacted by confiscating one of their own devices, he said.

The confrontation spilled onto the street, where CCTV footage showed Davies running from two women as they screamed: "Thief!"

Davies said he was later apprehended, but police released him without charge following an investigation and reconciliation with the two employees.

That was when he believed the incident - a "big mistake" in his words - was over.

When he woke the next day, Davies found the most popular social media websites, as well as local newspapers, awash with stories that he had attacked and robbed those women.

One webpage, carrying a video of the incident, racked up 15 million views, while sites including WeChat and Weibo on Sina.com attracted prominent attention to the incident.

Readers were incensed by the reported tale, with thousands of comments calling for Davies to be "beaten to death".

Even English-language, expatriate-oriented mainland sites misreported the case, although no media contacted him for his side of the story, Davies said.

Under the intense furore, local officials took a special interest in the Scotsman, and soon he found himself being investigated, not for robbery, but for moonlighting at a local English-language centre.

Davies admitted to the charge during the investigation and was sentenced - without trial - to two weeks in prison and a hefty fine.

He served the time before being escorted directly to Beijing airport, where he was deported on the very next plane.

Since then, he has failed in repeated attempts to get another mainland visa.

"The Chinese press basically spread rumours about me, which people were quick to believe," Davies said. "I was surprised at the things people were saying … [The government] wanted rid of me, so they looked for a crime."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Deported after online vitriol over massage row
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