Getting justice, Chinese style: Chicken thief is tied to a pole and publicly shamed after being caught red-handed by villagers

  • A man was tied to a utility pole and berated for trying to steal a chicken
  • The thief came to the town with another thief who managed to escape
  • Villagers in Maoming city in southeast China taunted the would-be chicken thief

A Chinese man was tied to a utility pole, stripped and publicly shamed after he dared to try to steal a chicken.

Villagers in Maoming city in Guangdong province taunted the thief as one man is heard chanting 'chicken thief, chicken thief' in Cantonese, a dialect common to southern China and Hong Kong. 

Chickens hung around his neck during the brutal taunts. The would-be chicken bandit entered the village with another thief who managed to escape on December 9.  

Close up: The public humiliation was filmed and the thief was forced to look into the camera

 Close up: The public humiliation was filmed and the thief was forced to look into the camera

The 24 second video was uploaded by Miao Pai Tou Tiao yesterday. One woman berates the man who was stripped of his trousers as she says 'you deserve it.' 

The man looked downwards during the humiliating incident. 

Someone lifted the thief's head so he has to make eye contact with the camera. Many people gathered to watch the public shaming. 

The villagers kept the thief there until police arrived on the scene to properly investigate him.

Public shaming for stealing in China isn't a new concept. 

In 2013 a store owner pinned shoplifter Li Wu to the ground, took a pair of scissors and hacked off her long dark hair. 

Shamed: A crowd gathers in Maoming to mock the man who tried to steal a chicken

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now