Chinese man jailed for breaking into woman’s home and extracting blood to ‘relieve stress’

The case, first reported by Red Star News, has triggered widespread criticism online.

A man in China who sedated a woman in her own bedroom and drew blood from her arm claimed in court that he committed the disturbing act as a way to “relieve stress”. He was sentenced to two years in prison, a judgement that has provoked anger and alarm among members of the public.

The case occurred in the early hours of January 1, 2024 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, in the southeast of the country. The intruder, identified only by his surname Li, entered the residence of a woman named Yu by pushing open the door while her husband was away.

Yu had been asleep when Li entered. According to the court findings, he rendered her unconscious with a black cloth soaked in chemical substances before inserting a needle into her arm and extracting blood.

The act was interrupted when Yu’s husband returned home unexpectedly. On discovering the scene, he struck the intruder with a kettle, forcing Li to escape.

When Yu regained consciousness, she described finding hospital equipment on her bed. “I found a tourniquet on the bed, the kind used in hospitals for drawing blood. I also felt pain in my left arm. There was a needle mark and bloodstains,” she recalled.

Forensic specialists from the Yangzhou Public Security Bureau’s Forensic Evidence Identification Centre confirmed that traces of the anaesthetic agents sevoflurane and isoflurane were present on the cloth left behind by Li.

The incident unsettled residents in the neighbourhood. A local man, surnamed Xu, said that many households had installed surveillance cameras afterwards because of growing fear.

In court, Li admitted that his behaviour had not been motivated by financial gain but by personal gratification. “I just enjoy sneaking into other people’s homes. It gives me a thrill that helps relieve my pressure,” he told the court.

Judicial documents revealed that Li had a history of offences including theft, rape and unlawful entry. He had previously been detained for invading privacy. Despite this record, he was convicted of unlawful intrusion into a residence and handed a two-year custodial sentence.

The case, first reported by Red Star News, has triggered widespread criticism online. Many commentators argued that the penalty did not reflect the seriousness of the crime or the potential danger to the victim.

One person wrote: “This is really terrifying. Where did he get the anaesthetic? How did he even get into the place? The more you think about his crime, the more horrifying it becomes.”

Another comment read: “His actions were clearly premeditated. How is that not considered intentional harm? Did the victim suffer no physical or psychological trauma? Was his behaviour not malicious enough?

“This man also has a criminal history of theft and rape; were these all taken into account before sentencing him to just two years? No wonder he had so many opportunities to reoffend. I am speechless.”