Latest news with #chemicalcastration
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Chemical castration stopped Peter's deviant thoughts. Should it be mandatory for all sex offenders?
When Peter* was arrested for indecent exposure in his 40s, what happened next was almost a relief. Plagued by deviant sexual desires since the age of seven, he was consumed by self-hatred but felt unable to control the ideas that came, unbidden, into his head. After his arrest and subsequent conviction (his first), he was handed a community supervision order and presented with another, more unusual path to rehabilitation: 'chemical castration'. The treatment, which involved taking a drug to suppress his sexual urges, was voluntary but Peter (who is now in his 60s) agreed to try it. The decision changed his life and he noticed the difference within a week. 'It gave me back the head space to think about things other than sexual urges,' he says now. 'It has enabled me to be certain of remaining offence-free for the rest of my life. [It] stopped me feeling any need or desire to offend.' Governments have long grappled with the question of how the law should deal with sex offenders. Roughly 20 per cent of the UK prison population is serving a sentence for a sexual offence, while more than 850 men a month are arrested for online child abuse offences in England and Wales. Usually, the answer is to hand down as harsh a sentence as possible; mandatory life imprisonment has been mooted by politicians in the past. Yet, in practice, prisons are full to bursting, and eight in 10 of those convicted of possessing child abuse images in the UK avoid jail. Could so-called 'chemical castration' be the solution? Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is set to unveil plans for a major overhaul of the way the state punishes criminals this week, has said she will consider making the treatment mandatory for paedophiles and other sex offenders. An existing pilot scheme was commended by David Gauke's independent sentencing review and has shown promising results, suggesting recidivism could be cut by up to 60 per cent. Owing to its success, and a recommendation by Gauke, the programme (which offers 34 offenders in eight prisons voluntary chemical castration) is set to be expanded to 20 prisons, before being rolled out nationally. But suggestions the forthcoming Sentencing Bill may one day lead to mandatory medication, have been met with dismay by experts, who warn that forcing treatment on offenders 'will not work'. Not a panacea for sexual abuse Prof Belinda Winder, a forensic psychologist at Nottingham Trent University, has been evaluating the use of 'medication to manage problematic sexual arousal' (MMSA) for the past 15 years. She says mandating the drugs – typically taken in pill form – would be costly, impractical, and possibly illegal. To explain the psychology of an offender with problematic sexual arousal, Prof Winder uses the analogy of a radio turned up to full volume: 'It's like people are carrying a little radio around with them that's saying 'sex, sex, sex'. 'Everything in their world has sexual elements, or they're trying to bring sex into it,' she says. 'You're getting people masturbating ten times a day, every day, or wanting sex with their partner five, six, times a day… the medication gets sexual arousal back either to a low or manageable level.' But it won't work for all offenders, Prof Winder and others argue. It is only truly effective for those who have 'genuine difficulties in managing arousal', and want to change that, says Prof Don Grubin, emeritus professor of forensic psychiatry at Newcastle University. It will not be suitable for offenders who are primarily motivated by anger, or who struggle to moderate their behaviour while using alcohol or drugs, he adds. In fact, Prof Grubin argues, it is only really an option for a sub-section of the offender population: those with 'paraphilias', who are motivated by an intense sexual fixation. As Prof Grubin suggests, the treatment seems to work for some. A study from Scandinavia found that MMSA reduces rates of reoffending by 40 per cent. Results from a small clinical trial of 52 men in Stockholm, Sweden, showed that paedophiles living in the community had a significantly reduced risk of reoffending just two weeks after starting treatment. Indeed, in some jurisdictions, these treatments are already compulsory. Poland, Kazakhstan and a number of US states including California and Florida already have mandatory prescribing of anti-libidinal drugs to some sex offenders. Other countries including Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark offer chemical castration on a voluntary basis, as in the UK. In 2009, Prof Grubin introduced a pilot scheme in the UK, at HMP Whatton, a category-C prison which specifically holds men who have committed sexual offences. Volunteers were treated with chemical castration, or given anti-depressants. 'It would be wrong to think of it as a magic bullet,' he says, but 'when these drugs work, it's really dramatic. People's whole outlook and motivation changes.' Medications for sex offenders have actually been trialled in some UK prisons for more than 15 years, and used across the world for more than 60. Previously, they have been employed with ill-intent – most famously in the case of Alan Turing, the computer scientist and code-breaker, who was convicted of homosexuality in 1952 and accepted chemical castration as a way of avoiding imprisonment. He took his own life two years later, and received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013. More recently, critics have argued the treatment diminishes the responsibility of men who have committed appalling crimes, potentially allowing them to shorten or avoid time in prison. Earlier this year, Zhenhao Zou, a 28-year-old Chinese PhD student at University College, London, and one of Britain's most prolific serial rapists, offered to undergo chemical castration in the wake of his conviction, according to court documents. Rather than a show of remorse for his 'predatory' behaviour, this was adjudged to be an attempt by Zou to avoid a life sentence. It was refused and he was jailed for 24 years. Still, a growing body of experts believe the treatment can also be used to do good – to improve the lives and prospects of men who have committed sexual offences, and to cut rates of reoffending. 'Not every sex offender wants to be a sex offender' In UK prisons, chemical castration primarily involves the use of anti-androgens or Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH), both of which lower levels of the male sex hormone testosterone to pre-pubescent levels, effectively wiping out sex drive and rendering the patient functionally impotent. They can also provoke severe side effects – including breast development, hormonal hot flushes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular changes. SSRI's, a class of antidepressant which can reduce compulsive sexual thoughts, are also used (most commonly Fluoxetine). But Prof Grubin says criminals don't feel angered by the impotence and loss of libido these medications cause. Quite the opposite: they have taken them voluntarily and often feel only relief, having been freed from the intense sexual urges that drove them to criminality. The three-year trial he piloted at HMP Whatton, which ended in 2012, delivered promising results. The treatment was formally adopted, and later introduced in other prisons. Along with Prof Winder, Prof Grubin is now running a double-blind controlled trial [where neither the participants nor researchers know who is receiving the active treatment, and who is receiving a placebo] to prove its efficacy – an important step, given the key criticism of the medication to date has been its lack of exposure to this type of testing. Dr Adarsh Kaul, a forensic psychiatrist who works in prisons in Nottinghamshire, says that 'most, if not all of' the men who are referred to him are relieved by the results. Contrary to the public perception of people who commit sexual offences, he says, 'it is not the case that every sex offender wants to be a sex offender'. 'There are some for whom you might compare it to alcohol,' says Dr Kaul. 'Does every person who drinks to excess want to screw up their life and destroy their health? No. There's a whole range of people.' It is often so effective that some of his patients consider themselves 'cured', though medics stress such a conclusion (as well as the term 'chemical castration' itself) is misleading because the results are reversible. 'There are people who I treat who get better, and at some point they say to me, 'I'm well now, and I don't need the treatment any more',' says Dr Kaul. 'But many of them, after a few weeks or months, will come back to me and say, 'You know what, you were right – I'm not cured, and the reason I thought I was is because I was taking this medication.'' It's not up to the Government to say, 'this man needs medication' Indeed, some have seized on arguments that the medication is not a silver bullet, criticising Mahmood's mooting of a nationwide, mandatory scheme. Shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, has dismissed Mahmood's suggestion as a 'gimmick', designed to draw the public's attention away from major sentencing reform that could see swaths of prisoners released from jail just a third of the way through their sentences, in order to deal with an overcrowding crisis. '[Sir Keir] Starmer cannot mandate chemical castration without ripping up human rights legislation. Pigs will fly before that happens,' he said in May. Mahmood and her fellow officials appear undeterred. 'Chemical castration works. Unlike the last Conservative government, this Government won't be squeamish about doing what works to keep the public safe. That starts by rolling chemical castration out nationwide – with two new regions soon to be announced. And we continue to explore mandation,' a Government source told The Times this week. But experts with experience of administering these drugs warn of potential trouble ahead, particularly if criminals end up needing to be sectioned in order to be treated – something the Government has not ruled out – or taking the medication is made a condition of their parole licences. 'We treat patients, we don't treat risk,' says Prof Grubin, who adds that medics risk being turned into 'agents of social control' if the plan is pushed through. 'It's not up to the Government to say, 'this man needs medication'.' Prof Grubin suggests doctors may even refuse to administer the treatment under such circumstances. After all, he argues, the reason they have been successful so far is because the men taking the drugs want to reduce their own risk. * Name has been changed
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Chinese PhD student who drugged and raped 10 women asked to be chemically castrated in bid to avoid jail time
A Chinese PhD student who drugged and raped 10 women asked to be chemically castrated in an attempt to avoid going to prison. Zhenhao Zou, 28, was yesterday jailed for a minimum of 22 years for the vile attacks during his time studying at University College, London. Following his conviction in March, detectives revealed they had evidence relating to suspected attacks on another 50 women in the UK and China after uncovering a sickening collection of trophy videos kept by the engineering PhD student as a souvenir. Now a further 24 victims have come forward saying they were raped by Zou while he was studying in the UK. The fiend filmed some of his victims helpless and stupefied in sick home videos that he kept of his attacks. Inner London Crown Court heard that Zou had offered to be chemically castrated to avoid a life sentence. But Judge Rosina Cottage said he would always be a risk to the public because of his 'sexual interest' in 'asserting power and control over women', adding that the victims were just 'pieces in an elaborate game'. Jailing him for life, she said: 'The charming mask hid the fact that you are also a sexual predator.' Chemical castration of paedophiles and other sex offenders is currently being piloted in south-west England, and includes taking two drugs, one to limit sexual thoughts and the other to reduce testosterone and limit libido. Chemical castration is voluntary in Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark, and some sex offenders actively seek it out. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently announced the existing pilot would be expanded to 20 prisons. Victims told yesterday how they were 'haunted' by what Zou had done to them as a judge said he had treated unconscious women like 'sex toys' for his own pleasure. The son of a wealthy Chinese Communist Party official and industrialist, Zou stalked student bars, accommodation and online dating apps looking for victims, plying unsuspecting women with drinks laced with drugs. He lured the women back to his lavish student apartment in East London with the promise of a party or help with studies, before stupefying them with drink and drugs until they fell unconscious, enabling him to film his sickening attacks on hidden bedroom spy cameras. One victim, whom Zou had described as 'the perfect girlfriend choice', recalled waking in a strange room after going to a drinking party in 2021: 'I experienced for the first time a loss of consciousness. 'I opened my eyes for a few seconds during the sexual assault in his room, he was thrusting violently against my body. I was completely powerless and could only use all my strength to demand he stop. 'Although I lost consciousness just moments later, his face in that moment will clearly stay in my mind forever.' She later awoke naked lying next to him: 'Panic surged through me-everything about the room I was in was unfamiliar and I had no memory of how I got there. 'That night, it was as if the world had vanished from my life for hours. 'Everything in this world- my memories, time, even my own body- no longer felt like mine. Overwhelmed by fear, my only thought was to escape. A Tinder profile where the student appears under a different name 'Stumbling out of his room, I found myself in a completely unknown place. I didn't know where I was or how to leave. The memories of that night were fragmented- I only recall wandering like a trapped animal, desperately searching for an exit. 'For over a week afterward, I locked myself in my bathroom, consumed by terror, confusion, anger, and shame.' She added: 'I still can't read news about him or see his photo without feeling sick... 'To this day, I struggle to trust anyone. I avoid new friendships, trapped in the aftermath of what he did. 'Words will never fully convey the depth of this wound. But one thing is certain: what happened that night is etched into my soul forever. His face, his expression-they will never leave me. 'I will never forgive him.' Disturbingly, many of the women targeted may not realise they had been raped as some of Zou's home videos showed his captives so incapacitated that he was able to slap one victim around the face without them rousing. Zou unwittingly left a treasure trove of evidence for officers by recording the attacks for his own twisted gratification and hoarding personal items stolen from victims, ranging from underwear and lipstick to a Chanel earring. The bedroom in Zou's flat, where he chillingly boasted that 'the sound insulation is very good' By the time of his trial, only two of the 10 rape victims had been identified by police, but now detectives have traced a third victim. Detectives have established from the video clips seized that there are at least another 50 unknown women attacked. One victim said the attack in his London flat in May 2023 had a 'severe impact' on her mental health, resulting in her self-harming to try to manage the pain. 'I have no trust in others. Before this incident, I was not aware that a human could do such evil things,' she said in her victim impact statement. 'I am in so much mental agony and pain. I am not sure anything will help what I have gone through. 'When I heard that he had been found guilty, I was very pleased but even more pleased as I knew that women were safe, and there would be no more victims who would have to go through what I have gone through. 'When I see his image I am overcome with fear. 'I know his family is very powerful in China, and he may blame me for ruining his what was a potentially prosperous future. I believe he would confront me and seek revenge by doing horrible things. 'I fear if he is released he will commit the same crime again, I do not think he has learnt his lesson, or ever will.' A hidden spy camera that the rapist used to record his crimes The judge said of her case: 'Outrageously, she was trolled on social media for having bravely warned others. It has rocked her to her core, she feels guilt for your behaviour, you (Zou) feel no shame.' Another victim in China described being 'gagged by shame' and 'haunted' by nightmares following the attack. Yesterday, jurors who had earlier wept on seeing the distressing rape videos, returned to Inner London Crown Court to see him sentenced. Bespectacled Zou, smartly dressed in a navy suit and tie, stared at jurors, showing no emotion as he was jailed. Scotland Yard began investigating Zou in November 2023 after a woman reported him for rape. When officers examined his digital devices, they uncovered more than 1,600 hours of videos. Victims living in Britain, China, Australia, the Middle East and Europe have since come forward. Chillingly, Zou said the victims in his videos were only pretending to be asleep as he enjoyed 'time-stop' pornography. But officers believe the sexual deviant is one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders after Reynhard Sinaga and Black cab rapist John Worboys. Sinaga, 42, was convicted of 159 sex attacks on 48 heterosexual men in Manchester between 2015 and 2017. Worboys, 67, was convicted of 19 sex attacks against 12 women between 2006 and 2008. Zou was convicted in March for raping three women in London and seven victims in China between September 2019 and May 2023. He was also convicted of 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence, namely butanediol. Saira Pike, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Zou is a serial rapist and a danger to women. His life sentence reflects the heinous acts and harm he caused to women and the danger he posed to society.' The Metropolitan Police is appealing to anyone who thinks they may have been targeted by Zou to contact the force either by emailing survivors@ or via the major incident public portal on the force's website.
Telegraph
19-06-2025
- Telegraph
Serial rapist requests chemical castration to avoid life sentence
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.'
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Chemical castration and unsound ethics
Medical experts say they'll refuse to implement mandatory chemical castration, and one states: 'Doctors are not agents of social control. It would be ethically unsound to use medication to reduce risk rather than to treat a medical condition' (Report, 22 May). Yet in psychiatry, social control is routinely exercised, and drugs are often prescribed not to alleviate suffering, but primarily to manage perceived risk. Sex offenders should not be given more ethical consideration and bodily autonomy than psychiatric DillonLondon I must take issue with Marilyn Rowley over the use of the semicolon (Letters, 26 May). Reading a sentence aloud with measured pauses will not cut the mustard; an essential prerequisite is a grasp of the difference between a phrase and a main clause. I pontificate as a retired pedagogical pedant who should get out BargeLudlow, Shropshire Marilyn Rowley's teacher gave bad advice about the colon. It has nothing to do with a long pause, but indicates that what follows will explain or enlarge upon what has just BulleyChalon-sur-Saône, France The latest campaign being fought in the letters page over the use of semicolons worries me: is this a case of colonic irritation?Francis MaccabeeLoughborough, Leicestershire In your quick crossword (26 May), 'Kiwi' was given as the answer to the clue 'Fuzzy green foodstuff – that flies!' Oh no it doesn't!Euan DunnGreat Eversden, Cambridgeshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Gisele Pelicot's daughter opens up on her thoughts about chemical castration for men like her rapist father
Gisele Pelicot 's daughter has revealed her thoughts on chemical castration, and said it could be a 'solution' for rapists like her father. Caroline Darian's 72-year-old mother Gisele was drugged and mercilessly raped by her husband Dominique Pelicot and dozens of men over a period of nine years. In December, 51 men were finally convicted in the lengthy drugging-and-rape trial that riveted France. Now, speaking to Sky's The Politics Hub in an emotional interview, Caroline told correspondent Ali Fortescue that the UK government 's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration for sex offenders could be 'part of the solution.' 'For my dad, its probably one part of the solution, because, you know, when you're at that level of nothing else you can do. 'So yeah, chemical castration is maybe one part of the solution.' Caroline's remarks come days after the Justice Secretary revealed that chemical castration for paedophiles and other sex offenders will be piloted in 20 prisons. Shabana Mahmood announced the move in the Commons after a sentencing review found the measure was 'worthwhile' as a way to reduce re-offending. Gisele Pelicot 's daughter has revealed her thoughts on chemical castration Speaking to Sky's The Politics Hub in an emotional interview, Caroline Darian told correspondent Ali Fortescue that the UK government 's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration for sex offenders could be 'part of the solution.' Chemical castration is voluntary in Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark, and some sex offenders actively seek it out. The process, currently being piloted in south-west England, includes taking two drugs, one to limit sexual thoughts and the other to reduce testosterone and limit libido. In a statement to the Commons last week, Ms Mahmood said: 'The review has recommended we continue a pilot of so-called medication to manage problematic sexual arousal. 'I will go further with a national rollout, beginning in two regions covering 20 prisons. And I am exploring whether mandating the approach is possible. 'Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, like asserting power and control.' The measure was part of a series of proposals from former justice secretary David Gauke to reform sentencing and ease overcrowding in British jails. Dominique Pelicot, and all but one of his co-defendants were convicted of sexually assaulting Gisele over a period of nearly a decade after he'd knocked her unconscious by lacing her food and drink with drugs. The other co-defendant was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife with Dominique Pelicot's help. Pelicot also took photos of his daughter Caroline naked while she slept. She is now pressing charges against her father, having accused him of drugging her and raping her too. Pelicot has repeatedly denied this. Opening up to Sky about the day her father was arrested, Caroline said: 'In that moment of my life I realised that I didn't [know] the [person] who raised me...I lost a part of me .I lost part of my foundation, part of my education and part of my childhood.' She also said that she 'never ever' thought her father would be capable of committing his horrific crimes, and explained how she had to 'stop loving him as a father.'
