London-based Chinese student who drugged & raped 10 women jailed for minimum 24 years

A London-based Chinese student who was found guilty of drugging and raping 10 women in England and China was sentenced to life with a minimum of 24 years in jail.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, drugged and raped three women in London and seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023.

On Mar. 5, he was convicted of 11 counts of rape, two of the offences relating to one victim.

He was also found guilty of three counts of voyeurism, 10 charges of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Zou also kept a "trophy box" of the women's belongings and filmed nine of the rapes.

The police had warned there could be more than 50 other victims, which would make him one of the worst sex offenders in UK history.

According to the BBC, the Metropolitan Police called Zou "one of the most prolific predators we have ever seen."

Since the trial, 24 other women have come forward, BBC added.

Manipulative

At the sentencing on Jun. 19, the judge told Zou: "You appear to the world to be a very well-to-do man. You are also a sexual predator."

"You told [the victims] that resistance was futile.

Sometimes you would be begged to stop. You sought power over them- these women you treated callously- and used them as sex toys for your pleasure."

Zou had a "sexual interest" in "asserting power and control over women", and his victims were "pieces in an elaborate game" for him, said the judge.

She called  Zou a "highly manipulative and intelligent young man, but you have no understanding of the meaning of consent."

"There is a high level of danger because of your distorted thinking. You are a risk for an indefinite period."

His crimes

BBC previously reported that Zou came from a wealthy family.

He owned a Rolex watch and designer clothes and had undergone cosmetic procedures, including hair transplants and facial surgery.

Zou moved to Belfast in 2017 to study at Queen's University.

He then moved to London to do a master's degree and then a PhD at University College London (UCL).

Zou used the name "Pakho" online and befriended students of Chinese heritage on WeChat and dating apps.

He would invite them for drinks and drug them at his apartments in London or an unknown location in China.

Metropolitan Police Commander Kevin Southworth said Zou did "all that he can" to "incapacitate his victims to the point where they could not resist his attack".

In many instances, they may not even remember what had occurred to them, he said.

Zou, a mechanical engineering student, claimed that the sexual encounters were consensual.

Investigators discovered nearly 1,300 videos, but Zou insisted the sex depicted was consensual, Sky News reported.

Zou said he liked "rape role play" and pornography involving sleeping women.

He told the court, "I like it because the girl appears to be still and quiet when they are having sex."

Zou filmed nine of the attacks using hidden or handheld cameras and kept them as “souvenirs”, alongside a trophy box of women’s jewellery and clothing.

Hidden cameras were discovered in his bedroom.

"Never forgive him"

One of Zou's victims shared that he pushed her to drink an excessive amount of alcohol and would not allow her to leave his flat, the BBC said.

In her victim impact statement, she wrote that the attack had "deeply affected" her personality.

"I have lost faith in human beings, I have no trust in others. Before this incident, I was not aware that a human could do such evil things," she wrote.

Another victim, who is now living in China, was unconscious when Zou raped her in his student flat near Russell Square in London in October 2021, reported the BBC.

"His face, his expression - they will never leave me. I will never forgive him."

Top photos via Met Police