Another 23 women have reported being raped by Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese PhD student previously found guilty of a series of sexual assaults that shocked the nation. Zou, 28, is feared to be among the most prolific sexual predators in British history.
The University College London (UCL) student was convicted last month of drugging and raping 10 women, recording the attacks on hidden cameras to keep as “souvenirs”. Only two of these victims have been identified to date.
Judge Rosina Cottage described Zou as a “dangerous and predatory” individual and cautioned that he faces a “very long” prison sentence when sentencing takes place in June.
A global appeal was launched by the police following the discovery of disturbing footage showing at least 50 unidentified women being assaulted. Officers also recovered a box containing victims’ personal items, such as jewellery and clothing, kept as trophies.
Zou’s known method of targeting included inviting young Chinese women to his flat under the pretence of social gatherings or study sessions, before drugging and attacking them.
Following the appeal, more than 20 women have bravely come forward. Detectives are now working to determine whether these individuals can be matched to the victims in the footage.
Metropolitan Police Commander Kevin Southworth expressed gratitude to those who had contacted the force: “We have victims reaching out to us from different parts of the globe. At the moment, the primary places where we believe offending may have occurred at this time appears to be both in England, here in London, and over in China.”
He issued a stark warning regarding the scale of the case: “There is every potential he could be one of the most prolific offenders that we’ve ever seen,” and he urged others to come forward.
“Given how active and prolific Zou appears to have been with his awful offending, there is every prospect that he could have offended anywhere in the world.
We wouldn’t want anyone to write off the fact they may have been a victim of his behaviour simply by virtue of the fact that you are from a certain place.
The bottom line is, if you think you may have been affected by Zhenhao Zou or someone you know may have been, please don’t hold back. Please make contact with us.”
During the trial at Inner London Crown Court, Zou admitted his preference for “time-stop” pornography, a genre involving women who appear unconscious or immobilised.
Detailed analysis of the vast amount of material found on Zou’s devices uncovered the full extent of his actions, with officers identifying over 1,660 hours of distressing footage.
Mr Southworth noted “Ultimately, now it’s the investigation team’s job to professionally pick our way through those individual pieces of evidence, those individual victims’ stories, to see if we can identify who may have been a victim, when and where, so then we can bring Zou to justice for the full extent of his crimes.”
Zhenhao Zou, a serial rapist who drugged and raped women in the UK and China, has been convicted.
We believe there are many more victim-survivors yet to be identified and are appealing for these women to come forward.
l Watch Commander Southworth’s appeal pic.twitter.com/XNQ0zrrea3
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 5, 2025
Zou arrived in the UK in 2017 from China to pursue studies at Queen’s University Belfast. He later moved to London in 2019 to begin his PhD at UCL, living in Bloomsbury student halls before relocating to the high-end Uncle building in South London.
He was once considered a model student, known for his social lifestyle, frequenting nightclubs and hosting parties. However, during this time he also admitted to taking Class A substances such as cocaine and ketamine. In addition, he underwent multiple cosmetic procedures, including a hair transplant and modifications to his eyelids, chin, and teeth.
Zou has been convicted of the following:
- 11 counts of rape (including two involving a single victim)
- 3 counts of voyeurism
- 10 counts of possessing extreme pornographic material
- 1 count of false imprisonment
- 3 counts of possessing the drug butanediol with intent to commit a sexual offence
He was acquitted of:
- 2 counts of possessing extreme pornographic images
- 1 count of possessing MDMA with intent to commit a sexual offence
- 4 counts of possessing ketamine with intent to commit a sexual offence
The Metropolitan Police continue to appeal for any potential victims to reach out. Individuals who believe they may have been affected—or know someone who may have—are encouraged to contact the force via:
Email: [email protected]
Online: Major incident public portal at Metropolitan Police Website
