“Don’t really push me, it’s useless … The sound isolation here is very good” – these are the terrifying words of rapist Zhenhao Zou to one of his victims.
Warning: This article contains disturbing details
It is now believed that the former PhD student could have as many as 60 victims after footage was found of numerous unidentified women who were attacked.
Prosecutors say he seems to have been a ‘smart and charming young man’ of a wealthy family, but he has hidden a secret life as a ‘sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist’.
Officers discovered nearly 1300 videos – but Zou insisted that the sex depicted was consensual.
A deconstructed camera, one of several used to film his victims. Photo: met the police
Zou would keep recordings of his rape. Photo: met the police
The 28-year-old man said he had a ‘habit’ to take photos during sex and told jurors he liked ‘rape playing’ and pornography involving sleeping women.
Zou’s bedroom in his apartment in London’s elephant and castle. Photo: met the police
He said to the court, “I like it, because the girl looks quiet and quiet when they have sex.”
Prosecutors said the women in his videos looked unconscious – and a number of powerful tranquil drugs were found at Zou’s home.
“You must feel guilty about what you have done”
After a hearing at Inner London Crown Court, Zou was convicted of 11 counts of rape against ten different women on Wednesday.
Only two of his victims, one of whom was in two charges, have been identified so far. The other eight victims still have to be traced.
A great effort is now underway to identify other women who have been seen in Zou’s videos, according to police who have become the largest current rape investigation in the UK.
Police believe there may be 50 further victims, with about half of the incidents being investigated by officers that are believed to have occurred in this country and the other half in China.
We can also now report that one woman emerged to the police during the hearing and claimed to be a victim of Zou.
Zou’s productive offense might never have been exposed, but not for the courage of one of his victims to pick up the phone and call the police.
The hearing heard that in May 2023 the woman was raped “drunk and unconscious” in his apartment in London’s elephant and castle.
A floor plan from Zou’s apartment was shown to the jury. Pic meets the police/father
Zou filmed the attack and took intimate images without her knowledge using a small camera at the bed.
The woman said she was drunk and tried to leave, but that Zou dragged her back in and pushed her to digest Vodka.
She said she told him that she would stay if he transferred her 100,000 in Chinese currency, but that it did not give him permission to have sex with her.
Zou used this discrete camera to film him and raped a woman. Photo: met the police
When the two sent messages afterwards, Zou said to her, “I have too much to drink and do something wrong, can we discuss it later?”
She replies, “You must feel guilty about what you have done.”
Of great importance is that the woman has placed on her ordeal on Chinese social media apps littereedbook and WeChat, who asked someone else to come up with a similar experience.
The woman said she woke up to find that the former PhD student raped her. She said it happened while she was “unconscious” after drinking with friends in the London Chinatown for four or five hours.
Zou’s ‘trophy -subject’
After the arrest of Zou on January 25, 2024, police seized cameras and memory cards of his home as well as his phone.
They were shocked at what they found. He filmed nine of the women he raped, and took intimate photos.
Zou also held a box of items, which he said was ‘lost property’ – but the prosecution said it was a ‘trophy box’ of items belonging to his victims.
Zou claims to have a ‘lost property’ of women’s possessions, but the prosecution said it was ‘trophy subject’. Photo: met the police
Among the items that Zou held were this dress. Photo: met the police
Wrapped a dress in a plastic bag and placed in a box. Photo: met the police
Police believe that one of the Zou’s attacks occurred in his UCL student accommodation in Woburn, at some point between September 2019 and September 2020.
The evidence was found on a camera in a box in his apartment. On the recording, the woman can be heard, “I really don’t want to … I beg you, don’t.”
Zou replies: “Don’t really push me, it’s useless … This isn’t the first time we’ve done it. This is the second time … The sound isolation here is very good.”
Police also found several 500 ml bottles of butaniol at Zou’s Flat.
The toxicologist John Slaughter told the Inner London Crown Court it is being converted to GHB, usually known as the ‘Date rape’ drug, if swallowed.
Police found a bottle of butaniol in Zou’s apartment. Photo: met the police
A pipette used by Zou to apply a dose of quiet butaniol. Photo: met the police
They also found the fast-acting Tranquillizer Xanax, Viagra and a “folded 10 yuan note containing a white crystalline powder”.
Zou’s phone also contains images of the drug sevoflurans, with “suitable for full anesthesia” written on the packaging, as well as the Tranquillizer Triazolam.
Police seized Xanax – a fast -paced, powerful quiet frost – from Zou’s bedroom. Photo: met the police
Zou claims that the Xanax was for insomnia, but the jury didn’t believe him. Photo: met the police
He gave false excuses for the drugs, claiming that the butaniol was for a moisturizer, but later claimed to be used to get high. He claims that the Xanax was for insomnia.
The jury did not agree and convicted him of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offenses regarding one victim.
Zou was also found guilty 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 the aim of committing a sexual offense, namely butaniol.
He was cleared of two further charges of possession of an extreme pornographic image, and five charges of possession of controlled drugs to commit a sexual offense, namely one score involving MDMA, three involving ketamine and one of Alprazolam.
‘Dangerous Sexual Predator’
Metropolitan police said the testimony of the two victims is crucial to giving context to the videos, as many victims appear to be sleeping or unaware of what’s going on.
They are now trying to identify his other victims with the cooperation of the Chinese authorities.
As part of their appeal, a major incident instrument is available that – for the first time – has the option for language translations.
They especially want to reach out to the Chinese community, and police think there will be further hearings in the future.
Commander Kevin Southworth, leader of public protection at metropolitan police, said: “Zhenhao Zou is a dangerous and productive sexual predator, who manipulated and anesthetized women to prey on the cowardly way.
‘I want to acknowledge the two women who gave brave evidence against Zou in court, their courage and resilience were unwavering.
“We are determined to support all victim survivors and are now asking women who believe they are concerned about Zou to please come forward.”
