Online trolls who tried to shame a victim of one of Britain’s worst ever sex offenders have been slammed by a judge for “outrageous” behaviour which may have delayed him being brought to justice.
Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed for life on Thursday with a minimum term in prison of 24 years for raping 10 women he had drugged or plied with alcohol to render them unconscious.
Police and prosecutors believe there are many more of Zou’s victims who have not yet been identified, making him one of the most prolific sex offenders in British history.
One of Zou’s victims posted online about the attack she suffered, realising that he had the hallmarks of a serial rapist and attempting to warn other women.
But she told Inner London crown court that she deleted her online posts after receiving abuse and seeing messages that suggested the attack was her own fault.
When sentencing Zou, Judge Rosina Cottage KC slammed the online victim-shaming, saying: “Outrageously she was trolled on social media for having bravely warned others about you.”
In her victim impact statement, the woman set out how she went to police to report the rape, but she was forced to withdraw as a witness as she struggled with her declining mental health and trauma.
“While this brought temporary relief, as I felt I had done the only thing I could, the anxiety inside me never went away”, she wrote.
“I constantly think about what happened, and I believed the perpetrator was a repeat offender.
“I was afraid he would continue to commit crimes, and felt a responsibility to warn others, while also longing for support and encouragement.
“So, I began posting about the incident on social media.
“Although many posts contained support and condemnation of the crime, which gave me some comfort, there were also many hurtful comments that caused me great pain. Some people blamed me for going to the perpetrator's house, for drinking with him, and said that by going, I had consented.
“I could not bear these accusations and eventually deleted the posts.”
She said she battled “overwhelming” anxiety and turned to prescription medication to help her cope.
“I feared being judged by others, which added more pressure to my mental state”, she said.
“Even with the medication, I could not escape the haunting thoughts, and when I closed my eyes, I could not stop recalling what had happened.
“I experienced auditory hallucinations, I do not know whether it was due to my sleep deprivation or the stress of the situation, but I kept hearing music in my home.
“Everywhere I went I heard singing, this happened for days. I will still hearing this when police came to my address, but they told me there was no music.”
Her evidence was pivotal to Zou’s conviction at trial, and her social media posts did also help to bring Zou to justice, as another victim read her account and realised that she had endured something similar.
The women, who were both attacked while living in London, say they are “haunted” by their memories of being preyed on by Zou, with one saying his face is “etched into my soul”.
Zou was convicted after a trial of 11 counts of rape against ten women between 2019 and 2023.
In that time, he was studying for a PhD in mechanical engineering at UCL and carried out the rapes in London and his native China.
Judge Cottage said Zou, who liked watching rape porn online, had exerted control over his victims, treating them as “sex toys” in his uncaring pursuit of pleasure.
He was also convicted at his trial of possessing drugs used to knock out women, voyeurism over the videos he made of the rapes, and the false imprisonment of one of the victims.
Met Police also discovered a disturbing collection of personal possession Zou appeared to have kept of his victims.
The court heard a probation officer assessed Zou of having little insight into his offending, no knowledge of principle of consent, and an ongoing risk to women.
The officer also told the court it is believed Zou would have continued to offend if he had not been caught.
He was arrested in January 2024 and has spent nearly a year and a half in custody.
Judge Cottage concluded the serial rapist will pose a risk to women for a long time. He will be eligible for a parole hearing in early 2048, but must at that stage prove he is safe to be released.
