A man in north-east China was sentenced to death
for forcibly tattooing hundreds of Chinese characters on the bodies of three
women, state media reported today.
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.