Chinese PhD student Zhenhao Zou was accused of drugging and raping 10 women in London and China between 2019 and 2024. In March, he was found guilty of 11 counts of rape, along with 17 other offenses including voyeurism, possession of extreme pornographic material, and unlawful imprisonment. On June 19, a UK court sentenced him to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 24 years.
According to reports compiled from external news sources, Zhenhao Zou (28) is from Dongguan city in Guangdong province, China. He came to the UK for studies in September 2017, initially majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. He later went on to complete his Master's degree at the University of London and began pursuing a PhD in Engineering in 2021.
Living in the southern area of London, Zhenhao Zou used online platforms and dating apps to meet women, inviting them to his home under the pretext of drinking or studying, and then drugging them.
After the victims lost consciousness, the defendant filmed himself raping and sexually assaulting them and took some of their jewelry and clothing.
The London Criminal Court had already ruled on March 5 of this year that the defendant was guilty of 28 charges, including 11 counts of rape. On June 19, the defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 24 years.
The judge stated that the defendant showed a “complete disregard for the will and feelings of his female victims.”
The Metropolitan Police stated, “This case spans both the UK and China, and is of a massive scale.”
According to Sky News, among the 10 victims, three were assaulted in London and seven in China.
● Police Suspect Over 50 Additional Victims
Previously, the police had issued a statement indicating that detectives suspected over 50 additional female victims, though their identities had not yet been confirmed.
After a woman reported the defendant, police said drugs and hidden cameras were found in his home. Hundreds of videos and millions of messages on the defendant’s laptop and phone also revealed that he committed crimes not only in the UK but also in China.
According to BBC, Zhenhao Zou’s life sentence differs from a “whole life order,” meaning that after a certain period (24 years in this case), the offender may have the opportunity to re-enter the community “on license.” If deemed a risk, they could be re-imprisoned.
A “whole life order” requires the offender to spend the rest of their life entirely within prison.