Chinese man jailed two years for sedating woman, drawing blood to ‘relieve stress’

Beijing: A man in China has been sentenced to two years in prison after breaking into a woman’s home, sedating her with anaesthetics, and drawing her blood—a crime he claimed was motivated by a desire to relieve stress.

As per a report by the South China Morning Post, the unsettling incident occurred in the early hours of January 1, 2024, in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, southeastern China. The intruder, identified by the surname Li, entered the home of a woman named Yu while her husband was away. Li reportedly gained access to the house by simply pushing the door open.

He then used a cloth soaked in anaesthetics to render Yu unconscious before extracting blood from her arm. The crime was interrupted when Yu’s husband returned home unexpectedly and struck the intruder with a kettle, prompting him to flee.

Upon regaining consciousness, Yu discovered a tourniquet on the bed, along with a needle mark and bloodstains on her arm. Forensic analysis conducted by the Yangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed the presence of the anaesthetics sevoflurane and isoflurane on the cloth left behind.

In court, Li told judges: “I just enjoy sneaking into other people’s homes. It gives me a thrill that helps relieve my pressure.”

The case has sparked widespread outrage online, with many questioning the leniency of the sentence. Social media users expressed concern over the psychological impact on the victim and pointed to Li’s previous criminal convictions—including theft, rape, and unlawful entry—as grounds for a harsher penalty. He had also previously received administrative detention for invasion of privacy.

Following the incident, several local residents reportedly installed home surveillance systems out of fear, according to a neighbour surnamed Xu.

Li was ultimately found guilty of unlawful intrusion into a residence.