A PhD student suspected of being one of the UK’s worst sex offenders has been jailed for life after drugging and raping 10 women in London and China.
Zhenhao Zou, 28, had filmed his harrowing attacks on his unconscious victims. Only two of the women have been identified and the other eight have yet to be traced.
The Chinese national, who had been studying at University College London, had kept a trophy box of women’s belongings, which included a red lipstick, earrings and different hair bobbles and clip-on hair extensions.
His victims have told of being “haunted” by his attacks on them, with one saying she had “lost faith in human beings”, and another adding that she had been left with severe physical and psychological distress.
Since his conviction , 24 women have contacted the Metropolitan Police to say they think they may have been attacked by him.
After a month-long trial, Zou, who was most recently living in Elephant and Castle, southeast London, was found guilty of raping three women in London and another seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023.
He was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim. During his trial, jurors in the case were forced to watch the disturbing footage, which left some in tears.
Zou was also convicted of three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence.
He will serve a life sentence with a minimum term of 24 years behind bars, after being branded a “sexual predator” by Judge Rosina Cottage.
She said that Zou “planned and executed a campaign of rape”, treating the women “callously” and as “sex toys” for his own pleasure, which had “devastating and long-term effects”.
Jurors heard that Zou comes from a wealthy family, and could afford thousands of pounds a month in rent to live in an expensive building as an international student. His flat was full of designer clothes, and he wore a Rolex and had undergone cosmetic procedures including a hair transplant and facial surgery.
In a victim impact statement, one of the women he attacked said she felt “fear” towards Zou, saying his family is “very powerful” in China.
While he appeared to those who met him as a “smart and charming young man”, prosecutors said he is in fact “a persistent sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist”.
Using WeChat and dating apps, and also using the name Pakho online, Zou would befriend fellow Chinese students before inviting them for drinks at his flat, where he would drug and rape them.
The student first moved to Belfast in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Queen’s University before heading to London in 2019 to do a master’s degree and then a PhD at UCL. Eight of his rapes took place at an unknown location in China.
His crimes began to be uncovered in November 2023, when a woman went to police to allege that she had been attacked by Zou.
There was not enough evidence to bring a criminal charge over her claim, but when Zou’s phone was seized officers found disturbing videos of him raping unconscious women, as well as pipettes and sedatives in his flat.
One of the two victims who has been identified by police told the jury she was raped after Zou pushed her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and would not let her leave his flat in Elephant and Castle in May 2023.
The second, who is now living in China, said she was also raped by Zou, in his student flat near Russell Square in October 2021, when she was unconscious.
Police found hundreds of hours of disturbing videos and photos that he kept, around half of which are thought to have been filmed in the UK and half in China.
The case has chilling parallels with that of Reynhard Sinaga, 41, who was jailed for life in January 2020 at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of 159 counts of sexual offences against 48 different men.
He also befriended his victims and invited them back to his flat, before drugging and sexually assaulting them.
One of his victims said: “I experienced for the first time a loss of consciousness. I opened my eyes for a few seconds during the sexual assault in his room, he was thrusting violently against my body.
“I was completely powerless and could only use all my strength to tell him I was menstruating and demand he stop his actions.
“Although I lost consciousness just moments later, his face in that moment will clearly stay in my mind forever. As a result, I now experience severe physical and psychological distress.”
The woman also told of feeling “waves of nausea and disgust” after she was attacked.
She added: “I know words will never fully convey the depth of this wound. But one thing is certain, what happened that night is etched into my soul forever. His face, his expression – they will never leave me. I will never forgive him.”
UK detectives have said the Chinese authorities were “responsive and helpful” over the investigation into Zou, although no properties where he lived in China have been searched even though many of his crimes took place on Chinese soil.
After Zou’s trial, they began discussions with China about whether social media appeals to potential victims could be made on WeChat and Little Red Book, which are more commonly used in the country.
Zou was convicted of rapes that he committed in China in a UK court because foreign nationals living in Britain can be convicted of crimes committed abroad if the act is an offence in both countries.
Commander Kevin Southworth, of the Metropolitan Police said: “I hope the fact Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort to the women who have suffered immeasurably.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to stress that our investigation remains open and we continue to appeal to anyone who may think they have been a victim of Zou.
“Please come forward and speak with our team – we will treat you with empathy, kindness and respect.”
Saira Pike, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said that Zou is a “serial rapist and a danger to women”.
She added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to once again express my heartfelt thanks to the courageous women who came forward to report Zou’s horrific crimes.
“They have been incredibly strong and brave – there is no doubt that their evidence helped us to secure his conviction, and the life sentence handed to him today.”
