Chinese PhD Student Zhenhao Zou Sentenced to Life in Prison for Drugging and Raping 10 Women in London and China

Chinese PhD Student Zhenhao Zou Sentenced to Life in Prison for Drugging and Raping 10 Women in London and China

LONDON, UK — In a chilling case that has shocked both the UK and China, 28-year-old Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese PhD student studying in London, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of drugging and raping 10 women across two countries.

Zou, who was enrolled in an elite academic program, lived a double life. Behind his polished academic achievements and affable demeanor, he hid a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior. Over the course of his crimes, Zou targeted women in both London and China, using drugs to render them unconscious before assaulting them.

During sentencing, the court heard that Zou filmed nine of his victims while they were incapacitated and kept a “trophy box” of personal belongings—items taken from the women he violated. These included underwear, makeup, and other personal effects, which investigators said served as grotesque mementos of his crimes.

The presiding judge described Zou as a “very bright young man” who wore a “charming mask” to conceal his identity as a calculated and dangerous sexual predator. His academic brilliance, the judge noted, only made his crimes more manipulative and deceitful.

“This was a premeditated, prolonged campaign of sexual abuse,” the judge said during sentencing. “Zou used his intelligence and charm to build trust, then betrayed it in the most horrific way.”

Zou will serve a life sentence with a minimum term to be determined, ensuring that he poses no further threat to the public for the foreseeable future. His conviction follows an extensive investigation involving digital evidence, testimony from victims, and international cooperation between UK and Chinese authorities.

The case has sparked renewed conversations about the abuse of trust, sexual violence on campuses, and the often-hidden nature of predatory behavior by individuals in positions of social respect or academic success.

Several of Zou’s victims have chosen to remain anonymous but issued statements through legal representatives expressing relief that justice has been served, though acknowledging that the trauma of the assaults will remain with them for life.

This case remains one of the most disturbing examples of transnational sexual violence uncovered in recent years.