A convicted rapist jailed for drugging and assaulting 10 women in both London and China has been linked with more alleged sexual offences.
Zhenhao Zou, 29, kept a trophy box of his victim’s belongings and even filmed his rapes as the women fell unconscious.
The Chinese PhD student was last year sentenced to life in jail with a minimum term of 24 years after being convicted on 11 counts of rape, two of which were against the same woman.
A jury also found Zou, 29, guilty on more than a dozen other offences, including voyeurism, possession of an extreme pornographic image, possession of a drug to commit a sexual offence and false imprisonment.
However, new evidence submitted by detectives to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) details even more alleged offences by Zou, including accusations of the use of substances to facilitate his sexual assaults.
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Five women came forward following a police appeal, with two further potential rape offences identified relating to two more women, whose names cannot be published.
Charges have yet to be brought by police, and a separate inquiry is ongoing relating to Zou’s alleged victims in China.
When Zou was originally jailed, one of his original 10 victims said he gave her excessive amounts of alcohol and trapped her in his flat in Elephant and Castle, south London, in May 2023.
Her statement at the time said: ‘I cannot determine how long this incident will affect me, but I know that the impact has deeply affected my personality, and it will likely persist long-term.
‘I no longer believe in the inherent goodness of people, because I have never encountered such severe criminal behaviour before.’
She added: ‘Maybe I should have destroyed his belongings, but I didn’t do any of that. This sense of guilt has continued to haunt me.’
Another woman, now living in China, said at the time that she was raped by Zou at a flat in Russell Square, Bloomsbury, in October 2021 while she was unconscious.
She said: ‘I know 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.’
Following the latest submitted evidence, DCS Angela Craggs said: ‘I would like to thank the women who have come forward and spoken to our officers since our appeal. We recognise how difficult it can be to report offences of this nature and every woman who has contacted us has shown considerable courage.
‘The submission of this file of evidence marks a significant step in our investigation. While we await a decision from the CPS in relation to allegations concerning women in the UK, our enquiries remain ongoing.
‘We remain committed to supporting victim-survivors and pursuing all available lines of enquiry. I would encourage anyone who believes they may have been affected, or anyone with information that could assist our investigation, to contact us.
‘Every report will be treated seriously, handled with care and sensitivity, and investigated thoroughly by specially trained officers.’
Victims can file reports by emailing survivors@met.police.uk or calling 101, quoting CAD1258/04SEP26.
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