Chinese man with mental health problems freed after 17 years spent shackled in a shed
56-year-old from poor family regains his freedom after hospital offers to treat him free of charge
A Chinese man with mental health problems who was kept shackled in a shed for 17 years was given his freedom this week when a local hospital offered to treat him free of charge.
Xu Guofa, 56, had been held captive at his family home in Fengshun county, southern China’s Guangdong province, since 2000, when his elder brother agreed to chain him up in response to appeals from the local community, China Youth Daily reported on Thursday.
People felt threatened by Xu because his mental health problems made him prone to violent rages, the report said, adding that he frequently argued with his neighbours and on several occasions tried to set fire to their properties.
His family responded by chaining his feet and keeping him locked up in the shed. He was given his meals in plastic bags to stop him smashing the crockery, the report said.
“His condition worsens in bad weather,” his 61-year-old brother Xu Guojun was quoted as saying, adding that Xu first showed signs of mental illness in 1991, after returning home from the city of Zhuhai, where he had been working.