A man who drugged and raped women in both the UK and China has been sentenced to life in prison following a landmark investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
Zhenhao Zou, 28, of Churchyard Row, Elephant and Castle, was convicted in March 2025 of 28 offences. These included rape, voyeurism, false imprisonment, possession of extreme pornographic images, and possession of drugs intended to commit sexual offences.
On Thursday, 19 June, Zou was handed a life sentence at Inner London Crown Court. He must serve a minimum of 24 years.
The case has been described as one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by the Met. A senior judge commended the detectives for their tireless work in bringing a dangerous sexual predator to justice.
According to police, the case reflects their continued commitment to protecting women and girls and tackling sexual violence, particularly by predatory men.
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After sentencing, officers paid tribute to the victims, who remained at the centre of the investigation from the beginning.
Commander Kevin Southworth of the Metropolitan Police said:
“First and foremost, our thoughts have always been with the courageous victim-survivors of Zou’s heinous and predatory crimes.
Thanks to the remarkable efforts of our officers and prosecutors, a dangerous and cowardly offender has been handed a life sentence.
I hope the fact Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort to the women who have suffered immeasurably.
I would also like to take this opportunity to stress that our investigation remains open and we continue to appeal to anyone who may think they have been a victim of Zou. Please come forward and speak with our team – we will treat you with empathy, kindness and respect.”
Before his arrest in January 2024, Zou was a student at University College London. He had studied at Queen’s University Belfast before that.
He used social media and dating platforms to target women, most of whom are believed to be of Chinese heritage. He lured them to his flat under the guise of having a drink or studying.
Once there, he spiked their drinks, and as the women lost consciousness, he filmed himself raping them.
Police discovered hundreds of these disturbing recordings. Analysis later confirmed that he had committed similar crimes in China.
Prosecutors could not identify all the women in the videos. Instead, they relied heavily on the footage itself to present the case in court.
Investigators compiled more than 4,000 documents. They also examined 6.5 terabytes of data from Zou’s devices, including around nine million messages.
Most messages were in Simplified Chinese. Detectives translated them to build a timeline and understand his pattern of abuse.
The digital workload made it one of the largest cases ever tackled by the Met’s forensic team.
Zou was convicted of 11 rapes, but police believe there may be more victims.
To avoid risking the trial, no public appeal was made while proceedings were ongoing. A direct appeal was launched in March after conviction.
Since then, 24 additional women have come forward. A dedicated team is now investigating these reports. More charges are possible, pending review by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Detectives continue to appeal to women from the Chinese student community. Those who met Zou who drugged and raped women between 2019 and 2024 in London or during his time in China are urged to come forward.
