Chinese pro snooker player Liang Wenbo pleads guilty to assaulting a woman in UK, handed 12 months community order
- Liang was caught on CCTV hitting and kicking a woman in Sheffield city centre in what local authorities called ‘a sustained and deliberate assault’
- The former world No 11 is set to miss the world championship as World Snooker Tour issues ‘suspension with immediate effect’
![Liang Wenbo of China in a game at the World Snooker Championships event round one against Neil Robertson at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in England in 2021. Photo: Getty Images](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/04/03/1b30d4f3-bfcf-4f0f-91f8-d1c611d95e6b_be3bf372.jpg?itok=g3vM6wK-&v=1648972606)
A Chinese snooker player has been suspended by the sport’s governing body and will miss the upcoming world championship after being convicted of assaulting a woman in England.
Liang Wenbo, the world No 33, was fined £1,380 (HK$14,200) and handed a 12-month community order on Friday for committing what was described by British prosecutors as a “domestic-related assault” in February.
Security footage captured the 35-year-old having what appeared to be an argument with a woman, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Liang repeatedly hit and kicked the woman, and was also seen dragging her to the floor and pushing her against a wall.
![Liang Wenbo of China in a game against John Higgins of Scotland at the World Championships in Sheffield, England in 2012. Photo: Xinhua Liang Wenbo of China in a game against John Higgins of Scotland at the World Championships in Sheffield, England in 2012. Photo: Xinhua](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/04/03/10d9df58-c40e-43c5-96c2-e34ecfc05dba_88ec1c0c.jpg)
The CPS added that the attack, which happened in the city centre, continued despite the efforts of another man attempting to intervene, with Liang “throwing punches towards her”.
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