A Chinese PhD student has been convicted of raping unconscious women after drugging them and filming the attacks.
Zhenhao Zou, 27, who studied at University College London, is believed to be one of Britain’s worst ever sex offenders. He faces several years behind bars for his crimes.
Police have uncovered videos of dozens more potential victims who have yet to be identified.
At Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, Zou was convicted of 11 counts of rape against 10 women.
Zhenhao Zou is believed to be one of Britain’s worst ever sex offenders
MET POLICE
He was also found guilty of three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possessing extreme pornographic images, false imprisonment of one victim, and three counts of having drugs with intent to commit a sexual offence.
The jury acquitted him of two counts of extreme pornography and five drug possession charges.
He will likely face multiple life terms when sentenced on June 19.
Zou targeted victims on dating apps and social media chat groups, particularly using Chinese messaging apps WeChat and Little Red Book as well as Bumble.
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He lured women to his home with the offer of extra study sessions before lacing their drinks with drugs.
Police found a cache of substances in his possession – MDMA, GHB, Ketamine, and Xanax – which he is believed to have used to incapacitate his victims.
He had spy-cameras set up in his bedroom to record the attacks.
Some victims were seen pleading for him to stop.
Metropolitan Police officers uncovered a horrifying collection of videos showing Zou having sex with women who were either unconscious or semi-conscious
MET POLICE
Commander Kevin Southworth revealed police have videos of 50 more women being raped and sexually assaulted by Zou.
“He could be one of the most dangerous, prolific sex offenders we have seen in British history”, he said.
One woman came forward after waking up to find Zou having sex with her following an evening drinking in Chinatown.
“I didn’t even know how should I start talking about this”, she told the court.
Another victim was raped after being plied with vodka at his south London flat. She later branded Zou “disgusting” and told him: “You should feel guilty for what you did.”
Video footage showed Zou insisting she finish a large glass of vodka before the assault.
Zou, who comes from a wealthy Chinese family in Guangdong Province, moved to the UK in 2017 to study at Queen’s University Belfast.
He later completed a Masters at UCL before beginning his PhD studies.
In court, Zou claimed the women had consented to “rape role play” and that he habitually filmed sexual encounters.
Police found a cache of substances in his possession – MDMA, GHB, Ketamine, and Xanax – which he is believed to have used to incapacitate his victims
MET POLICE
He admitted to a disturbing interest in “time-stop” pornography, telling the court: “I like for the girls to be still and quiet when they are having sex.”
Police are opening a hotline for women who believe they may have been targeted by Zou and detectives are releasing images of suspected “souvenirs” found at his Elephant and Castle apartment to prompt victims to come forward.
“The deceitful, calculating, predatory nature of what Zou has done is fairly unprecedented,” said Commander Southworth.
Officers have been examining 1,660 hours of video footage and nine million WeChat messages.
Half of the recovered videos are believed to have been shot in the UK.