Chinese PhD Student Sentenced to 24 Years by UK Court for Drugging, Raping 10 Women

A Chinese national and former PhD student, Zhenhao Zou, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years by a UK court for the rape of 10 women in London and China. Taking into account the number of days he has been on remand, he now faces 22 years and 227 days before he can be eligible for parole.

Speaking after the sentencing, police detective Inspector Richard Mackenzie described Zou as “one of the most prolific predators we have ever seen”. He stated the case was one of the most “complex, challenging and heartrending” investigations the police have ever carried out.

Sexual Crimes

Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese national, raped three women in London and another seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023. He kept a trophy box of women’s belongings and filmed nine of the rapes, as the victims lost consciousness.

Three of the 10 victims have been identified, prosecutors say, but Metropolitan Police detectives fear he could have targeted dozens more women as since the trial, 24 more potential victims have come forward.

Zou, who was living in a student apartment at Elephant and Castle, south-east London, was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim. He 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.

On his part, Met Police Commander Kevin Southworth 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.”

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