Serial rapist requests chemical castration to avoid life sentence

Telegraph

19-06-2025

One of Britain's most prolific serial rapists offered to undergo chemical castration in the hope of avoiding a life sentence.
Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese PHD student at University College London, was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday for drugging and sexually assaulting 10 women. But it is thought the number of victims could be as high as 60.
The 28-year-old engineering student used drugs such as MDMA, butanediol, ketamine and Xanax to render the women unconscious before raping them, often filming the attacks to keep as 'souvenirs'.
Judge Cottage described Zou as a highly intelligent young man who hid his predatory behaviour behind a 'charming mask'.
Zou callously treated his victims 'as sex toys for his pleasure' during a carefully planned and executed 'campaign of rape', the court heard.
In March, he was found guilty of 28 offences, including 11 counts of rape, multiple counts of voyeurism, possession of an extreme pornographic image and possession of a drug to commit a sexual offence after a four-week-long trial at Inner London Crown Court.
Zou spoke of 'never wanting to have sex again' after his conviction and asked a probation officer if he could be chemically castrated – by way of drugs that suppress sexual urges and lower testosterone levels – according to the pre-sentence report.
But this was an attempt by Zou to receive a softer prison sentence and not out of any insight or remorse for his 'calculated and predatory' behaviour, the court heard.
Scotland Yard on Thursday revealed that a total of 24 women have submitted reports to police after an appeal was made for any potential victims to come forward.
Six of them have provided video recorded interviews and it is anticipated there will be further charges brought against Zou, the court heard.
Zou, wearing a blue suit and tie and flanked by four security officers, sat impassively in the glass-panelled dock and was assisted by a Mandarin interpreter.
His family, who continue to stand by him, according to his defence lawyer, were not present.
Addressing Zou, Judge Cottage said: 'It is clear that you are a highly manipulative and intelligent young man who gave no thought at all of the wishes and feelings of the woman that you penetrated and filmed.
'They were simply pieces in an elaborate game for one – you.
'It is clear from the pre-sentence report that you have no understanding of the meaning of consent and take no responsibility for the harm you have caused.
'I also have no doubt that the seriousness of the offences of rape associated with them justify a life sentence.'
Mark Cotter KC, Zou's barrister, said there was no mitigation that could be offered but pointed towards his young age, his high level of intelligence and how he is a long way from home.
Zou, the son of a wealthy Chinese businessman, came to Britain in September 2017 to study for an undergraduate degree at Queen's University Belfast. Two years later, he moved to University College London, where he embarked on an MSc and later a PhD programme.
Zou invited young women out for a drink or back to his flat to study with him, using dating apps and popular Chinese social media platforms including WeChat and Little Red Book, also known as Rednote.
Most of his victims are believed to be from the Chinese community, with many being fellow students.
About half of the attacks are believed to have taken place in one of Zou's high-end flats in London, while the rest are thought to have occurred in China during visits home.
Detectives trawled through 1,664 hours of footage obtained from Zou's phones and laptops, which also included around nine million messages.
Investigators watched hundreds of videos of Zou assaulting the defenceless woman but were unable to identify all of the victims involved.
The Telegraph spoke to a Chinese interpreter living in the UK who helped more than five of his victims bring evidence to Scotland Yard.
The interpreter, who did not wish to be identified, offered her translation services for free to alleged victims on March 10 after reading a BBC news report on how one woman had withdrawn her complaint because of difficulties communicating with the Metropolitan Police.
The interpreter said: 'The exact number of victims I can't disclose but it's more than I had imagined when I made the post, more than five, and not all incidents happened in China.
'Most of the individuals have submitted materials to the UK police, though I can't reveal specific numbers.
'Some of the victims decided to stop halfway through the process because recalling the events was too painful and traumatic.
She added: 'I saw reports saying that the police encourage victims to come forward, but I never expected that after posting, so many people would contact me.
'I thought there would be just one or two – but it turned out to be many.'
She posted her offer of help on Rednote where one of Zou's victims revealed her narrow escape during a Tinder date in October 2022.
The woman was allegedly drugged during the encounter with Zou but was rescued by a bartender after she cried for help.
The then 22-year-old recalled in a video message how Zou had initially been charming and had driven an hour away to Shenzhen in an old Land Rover to collect her to see a film and have dinner afterwards in Dongguan.
During the drive, he spoke of his studies in the UK and boasted about buying a Rolex, before paying for a £20 dinner at a Japanese restaurant in a shopping centre.
But after dinner Zou's demeanour changed.
'I told him I wanted to go home. But then he said something I will never forget for the rest of my life: 'I paid for this meal, so you have to listen to me,'' the woman said.
'One moment he's talking about this Rolex, the next he's using a £20 dinner to claim I owe him obedience.'
On Zou's insistence, the pair went to a nearby bar.
'After two drinks and another hour or so, I started to feel very strange. My first thought was that I'd been drugged. I was too afraid to say anything at that moment.
'But when he moved close and started touching my leg, I knew that if I didn't do something now, I'd be in serious danger once I completely lost consciousness.'
She yelled, which alerted a bar staff member and prompted Zou to storm out of the bar.
Commander Kevin Southworth, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'First and foremost, our thoughts have always been with the courageous victim-survivors of Zou's heinous and predatory crimes.
'Thanks to the remarkable efforts of our officers and prosecutors, a dangerous and cowardly offender will now spend the next 24 years behind bars. I hope the fact Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort to the women who have suffered immeasurably.'
He added: 'I would also like to take this opportunity to stress that our investigation remains open and we continue to appeal to anyone who may think they have been a victim of Zou. Please come forward and speak with our team – we will treat you with empathy, kindness and respect.'