A Chinese Ph.D. student is sentenced to at least 24 years in prison for raping multiple women

LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Thursday sentenced a Chinese Ph.D. student to a minimum of 24 years in prison for drugging and raping 10 women in England and China.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was convicted of the attacks, which took place between 2019 and 2023, during a four-week trial earlier this year at Inner London Crown Court.

Judge Rosina Cottage on Thursday described Zou as “very bright young man” who used a manipulative “charming mask” to hide that he is a “sexual predator.”

Zou was studying for a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at University College London in 2023 when the first woman came forward to allege that he had raped her. As part of the investigation, police seized Zou’s phone, on which they found videos of him raping unconscious women. A search of his apartment in south London turned up sedatives and recording equipment.

The investigation into Zou’s crimes continues, and at least 24 women have come forward with new allegations as a result of the publicity surrounding his trial, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said. Taken together, the cases would make him one of the worst sex offenders in U.K. history.

Zou, who also used the name Pakho online, befriended fellow students of Chinese heritage on dating apps and WeChat, before inviting them for drinks and drugging them at his apartments in London or an unknown location in China.

Using hidden or handheld cameras, Zou filmed nine of the attacks as “souvenirs,” and he kept a “trophy box” of his victims’ belongings, according to evidence presented at trial.

Zou, who claimed the encounters were consensual, was also convicted of three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possessing an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possessing a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence.

He was handed a life sentence and must serve a minimum of 24 years in prison.

Prosecutor Saira Pike praised the victims who came forward to report Zou’s “horrific crimes.”

“They have been incredibly strong and brave,” Pike said. “There is no doubt that their evidence helped us to secure his conviction, and the life sentence handed to him today.”