A Chinese PhD student, “one of the most prolific predators” in the UK, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years. Zhenhao Zou, aged 28, drugged and raped 10 women in London and China.
He maintained a trophy box of the women’s belongings and taped nine of the rapes on women as they became unconscious. Three of the 10 victims have been identified, prosecutors claim, but Metropolitan Police detectives believe he may have preyed on dozens more women.
Judge Delivers Sentence
Sentencing Zou at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Rosina Cottage informed him that he would be jailed for 22 years and 227 days before he was considered for parole, including time on remand.
The judge described the defendant as a “very bright young man” who employed a deceitful “charming mask” to conceal that he is a “sexual predator” when he went about and committed a campaign of rape on the women, using them “callously” and as “sex toys” for his gratification which had “devastating and long-term effects”.
No Understanding of Consent
The judge informed the court that Zou harbors a “sexual interest” in “exercising power and control over women,” stating further that the victims were “pawns in a grand game” for the defendant, to whom “there is no understanding of the meaning of consent.”.
Zou remained impassive in the dock when hearing his sentence. Detective inspector Richard Mackenzie said outside court: “The sheer volume of his offending, spread across two countries, makes him one of the most prolific predators we have ever seen.”
Crimes Spanning Two Countries
Following a month-long trial, Zou, who was most recently resident in Elephant and Castle, south-east London, was convicted of raping three women in London and another seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023.
He was found guilty on 11 rape charges, two of the offences against one victim. Zou was also found guilty on 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, namely butanediol.
Privileged Background and Double Life
Prosecutors described Zou as “a bright and charming young man”, but in reality “a tenacious sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist”. He is from a high-income family, which has been able to provide him with a Rolex, designer clothes, cosmetic treatments like a hair transplant and facial surgery, and thousands in monthly rent while he stays in London studying international engineering.
Zou, also known by the alias Pakho online, befriended other Chinese students on WeChat and dating websites before inviting them for drinks and spiking their drinks at his London flats or some unspecified place in China. The student initially relocated to Belfast in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Queen’s University before traveling to London in 2019 to complete a master’s degree and PhD at University College London (UCL).
His offences came to light in November 2023, when a woman reported to police that she had been assaulted by Zou. There was insufficient evidence to press a criminal charge regarding the allegation, but when his phone was confiscated, police discovered horrific videos showing him raping women who were unconscious, and pipettes and sedatives were found in his flat.
Victim Statements Detail Trauma
One of the women who was identified was raped when Zou forced her to consume large quantities of alcohol and refused to permit her to leave his flat in Elephant and Castle in May 2023. She stated in her victim impact statement: “I have lost faith in human beings, I have no trust in others. Prior to this incident, I was not aware that a human could do such evil things.”. When I encounter strangers, I am reminded of what he did.
A second identified woman, who is now living in China, was also raped by Zou in his student flat near Russell Square in October 2021 when she was unconscious, the court heard. She said: “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.” Scotland Yard said 24 women came forward following publicity in the media around Zou’s trial to say they think they may have been attacked by him.
More Victims Suspected
Prosecutors say among them was a victim in China, known as Female D. In her statement, she wrote of being “trapped in self-blame”, “gagged by shame” and being “haunted” by nightmares of what happened. 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.”
Prosecutors and Police Praise Survivors
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.”
Chilling Parallels With Other Criminals
Zou’s case has chilling parallels with 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 took them home to his flat, where he drugged and sexually assaulted them. There was also the case of serial killer Stephen Port, who was given a life sentence for raping and killing four men with overdoses of the sedative drug GHB, and for drugging and sexually assaulting seven other men who survived.