A prominent cancer researcher at the University of Alberta, and his wife, are facing a number of charges related to the alleged sexual assault, and confinement, of a teenaged girl.
Zhixiang Wang, 50, and his wife Xinmei Chen, 49, were arrested at Edmonton Police Service headquarters on February 14.
Wang is facing charges of sexual contact with a minor, and sexual assault – for reported incidents dating back to between Nov. 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010.
Chen is facing a charge of unlawful confinement of a child for alleged offences from May 31, 2010 to Jan. 29, 2013.
A girl under the age of 16 is listed as the victim in both cases.
The University of Alberta issued a statement Friday, and confirmed the couple are both employed by the U of A, but are on leave.
The statement went on to say cases of employees being charged criminally are handled on a case by case basis:
“Factors the University would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment, and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community.”
CTV News has learned both worked in breast cancer research.
The pair are scheduled to appear in court on March 13.
