“Really, don’t push me, it’s pointless… the sound insulation here is very good” – those are the terrifying words of rapist Zhenhao Zou to one of his victims.
Warning: This article contains distressing details
It’s now believed the former PhD student could have as many as 60 victims after footage was found of numerous unidentified women being attacked.
Prosecutors say he appeared to be a “smart and charming young man” from a wealthy family, but he hid a secret life as a “sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist”.
Officers discovered nearly 1,300 videos – but Zou insisted the sex depicted was consensual.
The 28-year-old said he had a “habit” of taking pictures during sex and told jurors he liked “rape role play” and pornography involving sleeping women.
He told the court: “I like it because the girl appears to be still and quiet when they are having sex.”
Prosecutors said the women in his videos seemed unconscious – and a number of powerful tranquillising drugs were found at Zou’s home.
‘You should feel guilty for what you did’
On Wednesday, following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, Zou was found guilty of 11 counts of rape against 10 different women.
However, only two of his victims, one of whom was the victim in two counts, have been identified so far. The other eight victims are yet to be traced.
A major effort is now under way to identify other woman seen in Zou’s videos, in what police say has become the UK’s biggest current rape investigation.
Police believe there could be another 50 further victims, with around half of the incidents being investigated by officers thought to have taken place in this country and the other half in China.
We are also now able to report that, during the course of the trial, one woman came forward to police claiming to be a victim of Zou.
Zou’s prolific offending might never have been uncovered if not for the courage of one of his victims to pick up the phone and call the police.
The trial heard the woman was raped while “drunk and unconscious” at his flat in London’s Elephant and Castle in May 2023.
Zou filmed the attack and took intimate images without her knowledge using a small camera by the bed.
The woman said she was drunk and had tried to leave, but that Zou dragged her back in and pushed her to consume vodka.
She said she’d told him she would stay if he transferred her 100,000 in Chinese currency, but that it didn’t give him permission to have sex with her.
When the two messaged afterwards, Zou told her: “I had too much to drink and did something wrong, can we discuss this later?”
She replied: “You should feel guilty for what you did.”
Crucially, the woman posted about her ordeal on Chinese social media apps LittleRedBook and WeChat, prompting someone else to come forward with a similar experience.
The woman said she’d woken up to find the former PhD student raping her. She said it happened while “unconscious” after being out drinking for four or five hours with friends in London’s Chinatown.
Zou’s ‘trophy box’
Following Zou’s arrest on 25 January 2024, police seized cameras and memory cards from his home, as well as his phone.
They were shocked by what they found. He had filmed nine of the women he raped, as well as taking intimate pictures.
Zou also kept a box of items, which he claimed was “lost property” – but the prosecution said it was a “trophy box” of items belonging to his victims.
Police believe one of the attacks carried out by Zou happened in his Woburn Place UCL student accommodation, sometime between September 2019 and September 2020.
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The evidence was found on a camera in a box in his flat. On the recording, the woman can be heard saying: “I really don’t want… I beg you, don’t do this.”
Zou responds: “Really, don’t push me, it’s pointless… It’s not the first time we have done it. This is the second time… The sound insulation here is very good.”
Police also found multiple 500ml bottles of butanediol at Zou’s flat.
Toxicologist John Slaughter told Inner London Crown Court it’s converted into GHB, typically known as the ‘date-rape’ drug, if swallowed.
Zou claimed the butanediol was for a moisturiser.
The jury didn’t agree and convicted him of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim.
Zou 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, namely butanediol.
He was cleared of two further counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image, and five counts of possession of controlled drugs to commit a sexual offence, namely one count involving MDMA, three involving ketamine, and one of alprazolam.
‘Dangerous sexual predator’
The Metropolitan Police said the testimony of the two victims was crucial to give context to the videos as many victims appear to be sleeping or unaware of what’s going on.
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They are now trying to identify his other victims with the cooperation of the Chinese authorities.
As part of their appeal, a major incident tool is available which – for the first time – has the option for language translations.
They particularly want to reach out to the Chinese community, and police think there will be further trials in future.
Commander Kevin Southworth, lead for public protection at the Metropolitan Police, said: “Zhenhao Zou is a dangerous and prolific sexual predator, who manipulated and drugged women in order to prey on them in the most cowardly way.
“I’d like to acknowledge the two women who bravely gave evidence against Zou in court, their courage and resilience has been unwavering.
“We are determined to support all victim-survivors and are now asking women who believe they may have concerns about Zou to please come forward.”
