Serial Rapist Zou, a Chinese student, was jailed for life in London for drugging and raping 10 women, with police suspecting over 50 victims
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] London court has jailed Serial Rapist Zou for life. Zhenhao Zou, a 28-year-old Chinese postgraduate student, received the sentence on Thursday after his conviction for drugging and raping 10 women in both the UK and China.
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Authorities suspect he has attacked more victims, potentially over 50.
Zou, described in court as “calculated and predatory,” targeted young Chinese women. He invited them to his London flat for drinks or study sessions before drugging and attacking them.
Zou filmed nine of the rapes using hidden or handheld cameras. Only two of the 10 identified victims have ever been named.
Sentencing him at Inner London Crown Court, Judge Rosina Cottage expressed no doubt about his actions. She stated that he “planned and executed a campaign of rape” which caused “devastating and long term effects.”
The judge noted that to the world he appeared “well to do, ambitious and charming,” but this was merely a mask concealing a “sexual predator.”
Zou treated his victims “callously” as “sex toys” for his own gratification. His “desire to assert power over women” means he will remain a “risk for an indefinite period.”
Zou, wearing a dark suit and glasses, listened impassively to the sentence via a translator. He will serve a minimum of 22 years in jail, accounting for time already spent in custody.
The former engineering student at University College London was found guilty by a jury in March of 28 offences.
These included 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, and one of false imprisonment.
He received conviction for raping three women in London and seven in China between 2019 and 2023.
Additionally, he was found guilty of three counts of possessing butanediol, an industrial solvent, with intent to commit a sexual offence, and 10 counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
Victims detailed the profound psychological damage they suffered in impact statements read at the sentencing hearing.
Their accounts included nightmares, self harm, and a pervasive sense of despair and isolation.
One woman recalled “wandering like a trapped animal trying to find an exit” after her attack. She also expressed fear that Zou’s “very powerful” family in China might lead him to “seek revenge.”
Following the sentence, Saira Pike of the Crown Prosecution Service commented, “Zou is a serial rapist and a danger to women.”
Pike added that footage and web chat analysis revealed the former student’s “meticulous planning and the horrifying execution of his crimes.”
Since his conviction and following an international appeal by UK police, over 20 women have come forward, believing they might have been sexually assaulted by Zou.
London’s Metropolitan Police possess evidence suggesting he could have targeted more than 50 other women and have urged possible victims to come forward.
Met Commander Kevin Southworth indicated Zou could be “one of the most prolific offenders that we’ve ever seen,” with 24 potential victims contacting officers from various parts of the globe.
He noted primary offending locations appeared to be London and China, but given Zou’s activity, he could have offended “anywhere in the world.”
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The Met confirmed officers are compiling a file of new evidence to be submitted to prosecutors after Zou’s sentencing.
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