Forget the bloody mary, just give me the blood

HONG KONG, Oct 16 (Reuters) A Hong Kong man who knocked back two vials of blood after a drinking binge has been jailed for two months, a newspaper reported today.

Li Man-yiu, 29, told a court yesterday he was ''extremely thirsty'' when he staggered into a hospital on September 13 for treatment for an injured toe, the South China Morning Post reported.

Surveillance cameras showed Li ''walk up to the laboratory counter, take three tubes containing blood samples, drink the contents of two and then dump the vials in the lift lobby'', the Post reported.

When he realised the vials had contained blood, Li rushed to the toilet to vomit, the report added.

The court accepted that Li had drunk the blood under the influence of alcohol, but jailed him after he pleaded guilty to theft, the report added.

REUTERS CS BST0737