Two of the women, including his ex-wife, suffered serious injuries after the man, identified by his surname Zhou, made painful etches on their face, back, arms and neck using a sewing needle dipped in ink, the Beijing News said. A court in Jilin province's Baishan city sentenced Zhou to death on Monday and ordered him to pay the victims a total of 260,000 yuan ($44,758).

His death sentence came with a two-year reprieve, which means it could be reduced to life imprisonment on good behaviour, sparking anger from his victims who said they would appeal the ruling and demand his execution.

One of the victims, Zhou's girlfriend, was locked up by Zhou for three months after she tried to break up with him, during which time he tortured her, according to the reports. Her family later rescued her.

After she called the police, the other two women, who had kept silent, also reported being harmed.

Zhou's ex-wife had the words "enticing seven men" and "enticing men for prostitution" carved on her body.