A vicious child abuse case has been reported in Shaodong county in central China's Hunan province Sunday morning. A woman is said to have cut off a 6-year-old boy's fingers and genitals with a kitchen knife and scissors, because she was disturbed by the boy while sleeping. The suspect has been detained by police. The boy is receiving treatment in hospital.

According to local police, the suspect surnamed Liu was sleeping in her cousin's rented house, when a neighbor's child Xiaoming (pseudonym) ran into her room to play. Disturbed by the noise the boy was making, she took Xiaoming out of the room then closed the door. However, shortly after, Xiaoming re-entered the room to play. Liu, flustered, picked up a kitchen knife and scissors and stabbed the little boy's fingers, head, face, genitals and other parts of the body. After seeing the boy fall on the ground, Liu went back to sleep. After sleeping for a while, Liu fled the scene. The police caught her at her home village that afternoon.

Xiaoming’s relatives told the reporter that, "We don't even know the woman. The child's grandparents are good, honest people, they don't have enemies". They also said that the suspect’s relatives had told them that the suspect has schizophrenia, which has not been confirmed by police.

According to Zhou, the victim's father, multiple fingers were cut off. The boy's penis was totally removed. "The police asked the suspect where she put my son's penis, but she didn't reply," Zhou said. Now Xiaoming has come round in hospital, but is too traumatized’to speak.

Xiaoming's surgeon at Xiangya Hospital said that Xiaoming was seriously injured. Some of the fingers and the genitals may not be reattached.

Han Xiao, a lawyer at Beijing Jingrun law firm, said that by maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm, the suspect may face a prison sentence of more than 10 years.