LONDON, United Kingdom — Zhenhao Zou, a PhD student, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for raping and drugging women in both London and China.
The court heard how Zou kept a “trophy box” of women’s belongings and filmed nine of the rapes as his victims lost consciousness.
Zou, a Chinese national, was convicted of raping three women in London and a further seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023.
While three of the ten victims have been identified, Metropolitan Police detectives fear the number of women he targeted could be far higher, with 24 more potential victims coming forward since the trial began.
Judge Rosina Cottage KC, during sentencing at Inner London Crown Court, delivered a damning assessment of Zou’s character and actions. “You appear to the world to be a very well-to-do man – you are also a sexual predator,” she said.
Judge Cottage described Zou’s actions as a “planned and executed a campaign of rape,” adding that he treated the women “callously” and used them as “sex toys” for his own pleasure, which had “devastating and long-term effects.”
She further stated that Zou had a “sexual interest” in “asserting power and control over women,” and that the victims were merely “pieces in an elaborate game” for the defendant, who had “no understanding of the meaning of consent.”
Judge Cottage also noted that Zou had told his victims that “resistance was futile” and that even when they begged him to stop, he continued. She said the court had watched videos of the rapes which were “extremely distressing” and that “Some who watched, wept.”
Zou 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.
Judge Cottage emphasized the ongoing danger Zou posed, stating: “You are a highly manipulative and intelligent young man – but you have no understanding of the meaning of consent. There is a high level of danger because of your distorted thinking – you are a risk for an indefinite period.”
The devastating impact on the victims was articulated in a victim impact statement from a woman who was raped after Zou forced her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and refused to let her leave his flat.
She wrote that the attack had “deeply affected” her personality, causing her to lose faith in humanity and trust in others. “Before this incident, I was not aware that a human could do such evil things. When I meet with strangers, I get flashbacks of what he did,” she said.
Another identified woman, who was raped by Zou in his student flat near Russell Square in October 2021 while unconscious and is now living in China, 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.”
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Following the sentencing, Det Insp Richard Mackenzie from the Met Police described Zou as “one of the most prolific predators we have ever seen.”
Commander Kevin Southworth added: “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.”
Saira Pike, of the Crown Prosecution Service, characterized Zou as a “serial rapist and a danger to women,” adding that “his life sentence reflects his heinous acts.”
She expressed her gratitude to the victims, stating: “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.”
