A UK court has sentenced Chinese PhD student Zhenhao Zou, 28, to life in prison, with a minimum of 24 years behind bars, for drugging and raping women in both the UK and China. Police have called him “one of the most prolific predators” ever seen in Britain.
Who Is Zhenhao Zou?
Zhenhao Zou, known online as “Pakho,” is a 28-year-old Chinese national from Dongguan. He moved to the UK in 2017 and earned a PhD from UCL.
He invited ten women to meet between 2019 and 2023. Three in London and seven in China were invited for what seemed like harmless meetups.
Zou drugged them with sedatives like butanediol and filmed the assaults while they were unconscious, but behind closed doors.
Chinese PhD Student Jailed for Life After Raping 10 Women
Between 2019 and 2023, Zou raped three women in London and seven in China. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police believe the actual number of victims could be far higher. 24 more women have come forward since the trial. Police found evidence in Zou’s London flat during a January 2024 search.
Judge Rosina Cottage KC, speaking at Inner London Crown Court, said Zou was a “very bright young man” who used a manipulative “charming mask” to hide his true nature.
“You appear to the world to be a very well-to-do man. You are also a sexual predator,” she told him.
“Some Who Watched, Wept”: Harrowing Trial Details Emerge
The court found Zou guilty of 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possessing extreme pornographic images, one count of false imprisonment, and three drug-related offences. He filmed nine rapes and kept a trophy box of women’s belongings.
“You told (the victims) that resistance was futile,” Judge Cottage said. “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.”
She added, “You are a highly manipulative and intelligent young man, but you have no understanding of the meaning of consent.”
Commander Kevin Southworth said, “I hope the fact Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort.” He urged other victims to come forward and promised they would be treated “with empathy, kindness and respect.”
Saira Pike from the Crown Prosecution Service said Zou’s life sentence reflects the severity of his crimes and praised the victims’ courage: “They have been incredibly strong and brave… there is no doubt that their evidence helped us to secure his conviction.”