A former UCL student who was convicted of 11 counts of rape has been sentenced to life in prison.
Zhenhao Zou was convicted in March of 35 offences and today is being sentenced for 28, which include the rapes of 10 women, some of whom have not yet been identified.
The 28-year-old drugged and abused the women both in London and in his native China.
According to prosecutor Corinne Bramwell, 24 more women had come forward since the trial to accuse Zou of sexual offences. The Met Police is also now saying he could’ve committed more than 60 assaults over a number of years.
Today (19th June), at Inner London Crown Court, Zhenhao Zou looked blank as his sentence was read out.
Presiding over the hearing, Judge Rosina Cottage KC described Zou as a “very bright young man”, adding: “You are also a sexual predator.”
Judge Cottage continued by saying Zou treated women “callously” and “used them as sex toys for your pleasure”.
She also told the court how Zou treated two of his victims like “ragdolls”, and that “some who watched [the videos] wept”.
She also confirmed his sentences will run concurrently, which is where they win run at the same time not one after the other.
In a pre-sentence report seen by The Tab, it was reported that the defendant is in favour of chemical castration. However, it was noted, that this would be in order to gain a lighter sentence.
Prosecuting, Ms Bramwell said: “The defendant indicated that women will pretend to refuse, but when it comes to sexual intercourse they will in fact give their full consent.
Inner London Crown Court via MRSC on Creative Commons
Victims statements were read out in court. One of the women explained she now “struggles to trust anyone”, adding: “Years have passed, but I still can’t read news about him or see a photograph of him without feeling sick… an overwhelming urge to scrub myself clean… I was consumed by guilt. Why hadn’t I spoken up sooner?”
“To this day I struggle to trust anyone. What happened that night is etched into my soul forever.”
Another victim spoke about her experience, and how she confronted Zou after the attack.
“I confronted him via message demanding answers, then tested for STD, HPV and took HIV preventative measures.
“For years, nightmares haunted me. I became unable to be alone after dark, developed insomnia, and was diagnosed with BPD.
“I turned to frenzied self-harm. The terror of him selling those videos could annihilate everything I’ve built.”
As these statements were read out, Zou appeared blank, not reacting at all to the words of the women.
Zou was originally arrested in January 2024 on suspicion of one rape, however once officers began to investigate his home, they realised the victim count was much higher.
Butanediol which Zou used to incapacitate his victims via Met Police
During the investigation, officers found numerous hidden cameras in Zou’s Bloomsbury flat, along with a number of “trophies” from his victims. Drugs were also found, specifically butanediol, which was used to incapacitate his victims.
After watching the footage from the hidden cameras, the Met Police realised there were at least 10 women involved in the assaults. However, by the time the case went to trial, only two had been identified.
If you have information relating to Zhenhao Zou, you can contact the Metropolitan Police here.
Featured image via Metropolitan Police
