Liu is seen after the sentencing on November 4, 2016 at a court in Beijing's Chaoyang District. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

The arrested offender in the Beijing Heyi Hotel assault has been sentenced to two years in prison, along with a fine of 5,000 yuan, for carrying out pimping activities.

According to the Beijing Chaoyang District Court, the male offender, surnamed Li, earlier admitted that he belonged to a prostitution ring and that he was handing out flyers for escort services on the night of the attack on April 3.

Li mistook the female victim as a trouble-maker sent by his competitors, and he attempted to drag her away and called his associates for help. The victim, however, was instead just a tourist visiting Beijing.

Her screaming and fighting back led Li to quickly escape the scene.

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. (file photo)

The victim later posted her story and security video footage showing the incident on Chinese social media, saying that she was assaulted for no reason inside the hotel.

Her posts instantly became viral in China, and the hotel was blamed by many for failing to protect her.

A police investigation shows this was not Li's first offense and that he was on record for procuring a prostitute with two clients in the same Heyi Hotel earlier in March.

After his arrest, Li named four accomplices. An accomplice of his, surnamed Liu, was also arrested and prosecuted for pimping activities and extortion.

A further investigation of Li's prostitution ring is ongoing.