A 42-year-old man working as a security guard has been convicted of raping an 18-year-old male colleague and sentenced to one year in prison.

This marks the first time in China that a man has been convicted of raping another man, the Legal Evening News reported.

The court in Beijing condemned the man of wilful and malicious injury. A legal expert says the ruling represents progress in the legal system, but China still lags behind in the prosecution of gay assaults.