The image from the hotel's security monitoring system shows a man trying to grab a woman near the hotel's elevator entrance on April 3, 2016. [Photo: qq.com]

On Friday, the man involved in the Heyi Hotel assault pleaded guilty to charges of pandering.

The 25-year-old surnamed Li was arrested in early April this year after following a young Chinese woman to her hotel room. After pulling her down to the ground and trying to choke her as she searched for her hotel key, the woman fought back and Li fled quickly.

The woman, identified as Wanwan_2016 on Chinese social media Weibo, posted a video of the incident which generated a heated debate in Chinese social media.

In court, the man admitted to making a living by introducing women into prostitution. He attacked the woman because he thought she was competition and wanted to "steal away his business".

The public prosecutor said he understands the public concern of the attack itself. What is vital in the incident is the fact that the man's behavior had touched the bottom line of the law.

"On one hand, it's better to put a stop to anxious thoughts over this incident, on the other hand, people should strengthen their safety consciousness," the public prosecutor said.

The Beijing Police released an investigation report on the alleged attack earlier this year.

The report said the man had admitted to belonging to a prostitution ring and was acting as a procurer on the night of the attack.

He was also charged with an earlier offence of procuring a 28-year-old prostitute with two clients in the Heyi Hotel in March.

Li informed the police about an accomplice, a 30-year-old man surnamed Liu, who is now under investigation over engaging in prostitution and extortion by blackmail.

Chinese hotel group Homeinns, the parent company of Heyi Hotel, has apologized for the inadequate management of the assault.

The woman, who was the victim of the attack, announced on Weibo that her life has returned to normal. She will still take business trips alone, exercise more caution in the future.

She also expressed her gratitude to those who followed the incident: "I hope this incident will bring people positive effect and warmth, and make people offer help to those who are in dangerous situations."

The judgment was not pronounced in open court yesterday. The procuratorate suggested a sentence on the defendant between one to three years.