Zhenhao Zou, the 28-year-old son of a wealthy Chinese Communist Party member, druggëd and rapëd three women in London and seven in China between 2019 and 2023, while he was studying at University College London.
He was convicted of 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image, false imprisonment and three counts of possession of butanediol with intent to commit a sëxual offence.
Zou was cleared of two counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and one count of possession of MDMA to commit a sëxual offence.
The jury failed to reach unanimous verdicts on four counts of possession of ketamine and Xanax with intent to commit a sëxual offence.
Zou’s four-week trial, overseen by Judge Rosina Cottage KC, heard how ‘the persistent sëxual predator’ lured young Chinese women back to his plush properties and stupefied them with a cocktail of drink and drugs before attacking them and filming it on hidden spy cameras.
The identity of many of the women in Zou’s footage is unknown, with police having so far identified just two of the 10 victims that were part of the trial.
In one harrowing video, which reduced jurors to tears, a semi-conscious unknown woman begged Zou to stop raping her, but the predator chillingly sneered: ‘Don’t push me, it’s pointless… the sound insulation here is very good’.
One of the two female victims identified by police told the trial how she went out drinking with Zou in Chinatown, central London, in September 2021 after a meal with friends.
She said her last memory was vomiting in the street and losing her bank cards before she woke up to find Zou rap!ng her.
