Authorities fear Zhenhao Zou’s crimes run deeper as a chilling probe uncovers dozens of drugged and raped victims—many still unidentified
Police have exposed a shocking London PhD student rape case, unmasking Zhenhao Zou as a predator lurking within academic circles. The seemingly unassuming UCL student led a double life, using wealth and charm to disguise his sinister actions—drugging and raping women while secretly recording his crimes. Investigators fear the true number of victims may be far higher than those identified so far.
The case against Zou began in November 2023 when one brave woman came forward, alleging she had been raped at his flat in Elephant and Castle. Two days later, Zou fled to China. However, his past caught up with him upon his return in January 2024, when Metropolitan Police arrested him. A search of his luxury flat uncovered a chilling collection of evidence—designer clothes, expensive watches, and jewellery—alongside an even darker discovery.
Hidden among his belongings were an array of drugs and a vast digital archive documenting his horrifying attacks. Investigators unearthed 1,270 videos and over 1,600 hours of footage, including 58 clips showing Zou raping drugged victims. Police fear these are only the tip of the iceberg.
A Reverse Investigation
Typically, rape investigations begin with a victim identifying a perpetrator. But in Zou’s case, officers had a suspect and a horrific cache of evidence but lacked confirmed victims. Many women in the videos remain unidentified, their faces obscured or their memories of the assaults erased by powerful drugs.
Detectives meticulously examined clues within the videos, pinpointing the locations of attacks by spotting English plug sockets and other details within the flat. Some footage clearly showed women unconscious, their speech slurred, while Zou ignored their pleas for mercy. In one clip, a woman with visible bruising could be seen while Zou taunted her in Mandarin: “It really hurts.”
Despite the damning evidence, Zou maintained that all encounters were consensual, claiming the women were roleplaying. He told the court he had developed a fetish for videos featuring unconscious women, admitting he had searched for extreme pornography on obscure Chinese platforms. His defence, however, crumbled under the weight of forensic and digital evidence.
A Predator’s Double Life
Zou’s privileged background only added to the disturbing nature of his crimes. Born in Guangdong, China, he excelled academically, moving to the UK in 2017 to study at Queen’s University Belfast before pursuing a master’s at UCL. His comfortable lifestyle was funded by his parents, allowing him to rent an expensive flat and indulge in London’s nightlife. He underwent multiple cosmetic procedures, including hair transplants and facial surgeries, seemingly obsessed with maintaining an image of perfection.
He met women through dating apps like Bumble, presenting himself as a charming and respectable scholar. In reality, he was luring them into a calculated web of abuse. His method was chillingly consistent—inviting women over under false pretences before drugging and assaulting them.
More Victims Yet to Be Found
The full scale of Zou’s crimes remains unknown. Officers suspect he may have raped up to 60 women, with many incidents possibly occurring in China. The Metropolitan Police have appealed for further victims to come forward, acknowledging that some women may not even realise they were attacked due to the memory-erasing effects of the drugs.
Zou’s conviction comes in the wake of other high-profile cases involving serial rapists using drugs to incapacitate victims. His crimes echo those of Reynhard Sinaga, Britain’s worst recorded rapist, who targeted men in Manchester using similar methods, and John Worboys, the black-cab rapist who assaulted multiple women.
Authorities continue to examine thousands of messages recovered from Zou’s electronic devices, hoping to piece together the full picture of his depraved actions. The Chinese authorities have cooperated with some aspects of the investigation, though British police have not been granted permission to conduct inquiries in China.
For now, Zou sits behind bars, but his victims—both identified and unknown—face a long road to healing. As police work to uncover the full horror of his crimes, they urge any woman who may have encountered him to step forward, ensuring justice is served for all those he harmed.
