Woman apologizes after accusing man of 'creepshotting' her on Guangzhou train

A woman in Guangdong province apologized on Sunday after claiming she had been "creepshot" by a man on a subway train, even though in a video she posted on social media the man had proved his innocence by showing his photo album to her.

The incident sparked anger among netizens recently.

The woman released an apology on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, on Sunday night, beginning with "Uncle, I'm sorry. I was really wrong".

"I should not have arbitrarily spread the video on the internet, and I made an inappropriate description of you after I confirmed with you on the subway," she said. "I have deeply realized that this incident has hurt you and your family seriously, and I solemnly apologize to you and your family. My wrongdoing has had a negative effect on society."

She added that she "humbly" accepted the public's criticisms and will take concrete actions to correct her behavior.

On Wednesday, the woman released a video in which she suspected a man on the Guangzhou metro train of "creepshotting" her and asked him to show her his phone album.

Although she didn't find any suspicious pictures on the man's phone, she still described him as a "sleazy old man" on her post and accused him of attempting to creepshot her.

Soon, both the video and the post were deleted, but screenshots of the post have been circulated widely on social media and triggered floods of criticism from Chinese netizens, most of whom accused the woman of "slandering" the man and "bullying him by means of the internet".

According to the Qilu Evening News, the man involved in the case and his son called the police in Guangzhou on Sunday. A negotiation was conducted between the man and the woman at a police station.

The woman is reported to be a student at Sichuan University. According to a Sichuan Television report, the university is paying close attention to the case and has contacted the police and the student to check the facts.

The case will be handled in accordance with regulations and disciplines, the university was quoted by the report as saying.