23 more potential victims of convicted serial rapist Zou Zhenhao come forward: UK police

SINGAPORE: More potential victims of Chinese serial rapist Zou Zhenhao have come forward following his conviction, the UK Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday (Apr 2).

The 23 women who came forward following his conviction currently live in the UK, China and other parts of the world, UK police added.

Zou, a Chinese PhD student living in Britain, was in March convicted of raping 10 women - three in London and seven in China. He was found guilty on 11 counts of rape between 2019 and 2023, with two of the offences relating to one victim.

Investigators had revealed then that there may be more than 50 other victim-survivors who had not yet been traced.

“This is a significant step in our ongoing investigation and I’d like to thank the women who have bravely come forward since our appeal," said Metropolitan Police Commander Kevin Southworth.

"Our priority remains to offer them the best possible support throughout this immensely difficult time," he added.

According to the UK police, specialist officers have spoken with all of the women who have come forward and "enquiries continue into any potential crimes which have not yet been through the criminal justice process".

They are also liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service as they build a file of evidence to submit for further consideration by prosecutors following Zou’s sentencing set to take place in June.

UK police believe that there are still more victim-survivors to be traced and urged further victims to "come forward and access specialist support".

THE ATTACKS

Zou befriended fellow students of Chinese heritage on WeChat and dating apps before inviting them for drinks and drugging them at his apartments in London or in China.

Using hidden or handheld cameras to record the attacks, Zou filmed nine of the attacks as “souvenirs” and often kept a trophy box of women’s belongings.

His home was searched after a woman came forward to report him. Police found the drugs butanediol and ketamine, as well as a number of hidden cameras. They seized laptops and mobile phones, which helped uncover the scale of Zou’s offending.

Officers downloaded 6.5 terabytes of data from the devices, including hundreds of videos and around nine million WeChat messages.

Zou, a mechanical engineering student who was doing his PhD at University College London, claimed that the sexual interactions were consensual. 

“He has done all that he can in these offenses to incapacitate his victims to the point where they could not resist his attack, and in many instances may not even remember what has occurred to them,” Southworth said of Zou earlier in March.

Zou's case ignited outrage among Chinese netizens, with many wishing for a harsh punishment to be meted out to him.