University PhD Student Convicted of Sexual Assault

University of St Andrews Neuroscience PhD student Jui-yi Chen was convicted on 30 January of having sexually assaulted a woman in October 2025, with reported continued inappropriate behaviour into November 2025. He pled guilty to two charges of sexual assault.

According to evidence presented in Dundee Sheriff Court, Chen had been in a relationship with the victim since September 2025. She had set clear boundaries which Chen then violated, subjecting her to an hour of “thrusting” and inappropriate touching in a shared bed, during which the victim pretended to be asleep, said Prosecutor Ewan Chalmers.

Chen later turned himself in to the police over email, following an admission of guilt to the victim over text. “Yes, I sexually assaulted you,” Chen wrote, “Sexually assaulting you wasn’t my intention. I have no excuses, and I don’t know why I was waiting for you to stop me. I should have controlled myself.”

In response, Chen will face a £1000 penalty, undergo six months of supervision by a social worker, and is now registered as a sex offender in Fife. The Courier reported his plans to relocate to Sydney, Australia, upon completion of his studies, according to Solicitor Advocate Simon Whyte. 

“These are serious matters, but I am prepared to accept that Mr Chen handed himself in and secondly there’s real and, I think, quite genuine recognition of the errors that he made,” said Sheriff George Way, as reported in The Courier. “There are boundaries, and I think this has been a very salutary experience for him.”

In the Court report, Whyte shared similar sentiments, stating: “It comes through strongly in the [social work] report that he is remorseful and takes full responsibility.”

A spokesperson from the University of St Andrews told The Saint that they “take matters of this nature extremely seriously” but do not comment on individual cases. According to the University’s official Student Conduct Policy, a Student Conduct Officer will “make a risk assessment of [the] case [and] disciplinary action may also be considered” for students who face legal charges, which “could range from a move in location for teaching or living purposes up to and including temporary suspension from the University.”

In the case of sexual misconduct, the University website makes clear that their “Duty of Care extends to both alleged victims and perpetrators.” According to the Safeguarding HE website, duty of care is a legal “obligation to act with reasonable caution to prevent foreseeable harm.”

The University spokesperson explained to The Saint, “It is up to the reporter of such an incident to determine which options are most suitable to them and what action, if any, they wish to be taken by the University.” Students looking for further information on their “position and approach” can look to their Student Sexual Misconduct Policy statement on the University website.

Students who report any form of sexual misconduct will use a reporting tool co-designed with students and have their case handled by “front-line staff trained by Rape Crisis Scotland,” the spokesperson said.

Regarding plans for more preventative action against sexual misconduct, the University said that “St Andrews and its students are leading the way in tackling issues of gender-based violence. We were the first university in Scotland to introduce a compulsory consent module for all students, and we were an early adopter of the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe Toolkit.”

The spokesperson additionally pointed to the University’s accreditation under the EmilyTest Charter, which “recognises institutions that have built and maintained environments where students are supported, encouraged, and empowered to report all forms of sexual misconduct.” They continued that this accreditation is maintained through “demonstrating action that prevents gender-based violence and the harms caused, including changing the culture and ensuring students are informed of expected behaviour.”

“Universities cannot change the world by themselves,” the spokesperson said. “We are attempting to create an environment where students can recognise and challenge sexual violence in all forms.”

The Saint filed a Freedom of Information request with Police Scotland. Neither Police Scotland nor Chen’s legal team responded to The Saint’s request for comment by the time of this article’s publication.

More information on the issues raised in this article can be accessed by Rape Crisis Scotland on their website https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-helpline/ or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 08088 01 03 02. Advice and support from the University on reporting sexual assault can be found by visiting https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/sexual-misconduct/.

Image Courtesy by The University of St Andrews