Student's sick trophies after raping 10 women - polar bear sock and hair

Daily Mirror

8 hours ago

Chinese PhD student Zhenhao Zou, 28, who was found guilty of raping and drugging 10 women and filming several of the disgusting attacks, kept 'trophies' belonging to his victims
A serial rapist Chinese PhD student who was found guilty of drugging and raping 10 women has been handed a life sentence for his crimes.
On Thursday, Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed at Inner London Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 22 years after being found guilty of drugging and raping 10 women in London and China between 2019 and 2023.
The court heard Zou 'presents as a smart and charming young man' but is 'also a persistent sexual predator; a voyeur and a rapist'.
Judge Rosina Cottage branded him a "dangerous and predatory sexual offender" after he was found guilty on March 5.
During the four-week trial, the court was told Zou lured young Chinese women back to his plush properties, plied them with a cocktail of drink and drugs before attacking them and filming it on hidden spy cameras. In one video shown to the jury, which reduced some to tears, a semi-conscious unknown woman begged Zou to stop raping her.
He was convicted of the harrowing attacks involving two women who have been identified and another eight who have yet to be traced. He filmed nine of the attacks as 'souvenirs', and kept a trophy box of women's belongings, jurors in his trial were told.
Police discovered a yellow Fendi box in a wardrobe at his luxury apartment which contained jewellery, clothing and even lipstick thought to have been taken from his victims.
An image of belongings found in Zou's apartment also showed several hair bands, a key, and a magnet.
Commander Kevin Southworth, from the Metropolitan Police, had told the BBC: "Zou is plainly a depraved and cowardly individual who's preyed on his victim survivors in the most despicable manner."
Giving evidence in his defence, Zou spoke through a Mandarin interpreter and told jurors that he watched 'specialist timestop' pornography more than other genres. Prosecutors previously said Zou filmed nine of the alleged victims, footage of which was played in court.
Catherine Farrelly KC, prosecuting, told jurors: 'The police reviewed over 700,000 artefacts which included 1,277 videos. The police found absolutely no trace whatsoever of such an interest (in timestop pornography) when they went through that material.'
Asked by his lawyer Mark Cotter KC why that particular genre appealed to him, Zou said: 'I like it because the girl appears to be still and quiet when they are having sex.' Mr Cotter then asked Zou: 'What about being asleep?' The student replied: 'Yes, that's my favourite type. But I could not find that.'
The student, who moved to Belfast in 2017 to study at Queen's University before coming to London in 2019 to do a master's degree and then a PhD at UCL, faced a total of 35 counts. The mechanical engineering student was found guilty of 10 counts of rape and was also convicted of 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.
He was cleared of two further counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and one of possession of MDMA with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Police believe Zou may have been responsible for around 50 more rapes and are appealing for women to come forward. The Met said he is "the most substantial and prolific offender that we've come across in recent times".