Chinese PhD student in the UK found guilty of drugging and raping 10 women

A Chinese PhD student, Zhenhao Zou, 28, has been convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in London and China, with authorities fearing he may have targeted over 50 more victims.

Jurors at Inner London Crown Court heard that Zou filmed nine of the assaults as "souvenirs" and kept a trophy box of women’s belongings. Of his known victims, only two have been identified, while eight remain untraced.

Judge Rosina Cottage described him as a “dangerous and predatory sexual offender” and warned he faces a “very long” prison sentence when sentenced on June 19.

Police discovered hundreds of hours of disturbing footage and images, with about half recorded in the UK and the rest in China. If more victims are confirmed, Zou could be among the UK's most prolific sex offenders.

After a month-long trial, Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese PhD student who lived in Elephant and Castle, south-east 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 charges relating to the same victim. Zou was also found guilty of three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possessing extreme pornographic images, one count of false imprisonment, and three counts of possessing a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence, specifically butanediol.

However, he was acquitted of two additional charges of possessing extreme pornographic images and five charges of possessing controlled drugs to commit a sexual offence, which included MDMA, ketamine, and alprazolam.

Prosecutors described Zou as appearing to be "a smart and charming young man" but in reality, "a persistent sexual predator, a voyeur, and a rapist."

Coming from a wealthy background, Zou could afford luxury items such as a Rolex, designer clothing, cosmetic procedures—including a hair transplant and facial surgery—and high rent costs.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Saira Pike labeled him a danger to women and commended the two victims who testified for their bravery. Following media coverage of the trial, another potential victim has contacted the police.

Jurors had to endure distressing footage of nine rapes, visibly upset and requiring frequent breaks during the proceedings.

Using the online alias “Pakho,” Zou targeted fellow Chinese students through WeChat and dating apps, luring them to his flats in London or an unknown location in China, where he drugged and assaulted them.

Zhenhao Zou first moved to Belfast in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Queen’s University before relocating to London in 2019 for a master’s degree, followed by a PhD at UCL.

Investigators initially charged him in January 2024 but waited until after his conviction to publicly appeal for more victims to come forward. In August 2023, he was formally charged with a total of 35 offences.

His crimes began to surface in November 2023 when a woman reported to the police that Zou had attacked her. While there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him at the time, officers seized his phone and discovered disturbing videos of him assaulting unconscious women, along with pipettes and sedative drugs in his flat.

One identified victim testified that she was raped in May 2023 after Zou pressured her to drink excessively and prevented her from leaving his Elephant and Castle flat. Another victim, now in China, said she was raped while unconscious in his student flat near Russell Square in October 2021.

Jurors rejected Zou’s claims that all interactions were consensual, that the women willingly consumed drugs and alcohol, and that the footage involved role-playing. He admitted to recording sexual encounters and expressed a preference for pornography depicting unconscious women.

Among the videos shown in court was one featuring a woman, referred to as Female A, who struggled to stay awake while telling Zou to stop. He was heard reassuring her, "The sound insulation here is very good."

Zou was also convicted of rapes committed in China, as UK law allows foreign nationals living in the country to be prosecuted for crimes committed abroad if those crimes are also illegal in the country where they occurred.

His case draws chilling comparisons to Reynhard Sinaga, who was jailed for life in 2020 for sexually assaulting 48 men, and serial killer Stephen Port, who murdered four men and drugged several others.

UK detectives described Chinese authorities as “responsive and helpful” during the investigation, though no searches were conducted at Zou’s residences in China despite many offences occurring there. Discussions are ongoing about using Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Little Red Book to reach more potential victims.