Twenty-three additional women have stepped forward with allegations against Zhenhao Zou, a Chinese PhD student who was convicted in London in March for drugging and raping 10 women across two continents.
Police confirmed that during the trial, they discovered video footage filmed by Zou himself, potentially revealing up to 50 more victims.
Investigations are ongoing, and detectives now believe Zou’s “offending group is far greater.”
Two women who recently contacted the authorities shared their stories with the BBC World Service.
One woman claims Zou raped her in his hometown in China after spiking her drink, leaving her conscious but unable to speak or move. Another woman described how she was drugged in London, only to wake up to find Zou filming himself assaulting her.
We also spoke to two women whose testimony contributed to Zou’s conviction, with one of them expressing regret, “If I had spoken up earlier, maybe there wouldn’t have been so many victims after me.”
These women continue to grapple with guilt upon learning that Zou had assaulted so many others.
Alice, one of the recent accusers, revealed that Zou assaulted her in London in 2021. She said she felt compelled to report the incident only after his trial last month.
“I didn’t know that was something you could report,” Alice, a Chinese national, told us. Alice met Zou through mutual friends while out clubbing in London, and later visited his upscale student accommodation in Bloomsbury. Upon arriving, Alice noticed two bottles of spirits on the table, one of which she shared with her friend, while Zou drank from the other. Her friend soon passed out, and Alice began to feel increasingly dizzy. “Normally when you drink too much, you feel good for a while. But that night I just felt extremely dizzy and sleepy right away,” she explained.
Zou persuaded Alice to take a nap in his bedroom, citing concerns over her condition. Alice reluctantly agreed, knowing her friend was still in the apartment.
However, Alice’s next memory was waking up to Zou removing her trousers. “I stopped him right away,” she recalled. Alice then noticed Zou filming her with a flashlight from his phone. She attempted to leave, but Zou forcibly yanked her back. Only after threatening to scream did he let go, telling her not to make “a big deal” out of it and not to report the incident. Zou later contacted Alice the following day, but made no mention of what had transpired.
Alice ignored his invitation for dinner, and they never communicated again.
Alice confided in a few friends but didn’t initially pursue legal action, thinking evidence was required and feeling unsure about what constituted sufficient grounds to call the police.
It wasn’t until nearly four years later that Alice saw Zou’s face in the media after his charges were made public.
Sarah Yeh, a trustee at the Southeast and East Asian Women’s Association in London, commented on the challenges foreign nationals face when reporting sexual crimes in the UK.
“It would be daunting for anyone [from] overseas to be traumatised by rape and then have to navigate the British legal system and the NHS, or even access the services provided for victims,” Yeh said.
She also noted that foreign victims may not understand their rights or available resources, and may worry about potential repercussions on their studies, personal shame, or legal issues.
Alice later learned from a male friend, Jie, that Zou had a history of spiking drinks. In 2022, Jie accidentally drank from a glass that had been drugged by Zou. Zou confessed that he had intended for a woman at the party to drink it.
Jie also recalled Zou offering him drugs and asking if he wanted to collaborate in finding women to drug. Jie declined and eventually severed all ties with Zou.
Despite warning his friends about Zou, Jie didn’t report the incident to authorities, feeling the women’s testimonies were enough to convict him.
Another woman, Rachel, has also come forward with allegations against Zou, describing how she was drugged and raped by him in 2022 in his hometown of Dongguan, China. Rachel met Zou on a date, but he took her to his home instead of a bar, where he spiked her drink.
“I became unable to speak or move my body,” Rachel recounted. She briefly considered reporting the incident but ultimately refrained, fearing it would be difficult to prove non-consent and worried about the potential stigma in her small hometown.
However, she is now speaking out to encourage other victims to come forward.
The Metropolitan Police’s Commander, Kevin Southworth, confirmed that detectives are investigating 23 new potential cases and believe Zou’s “offending group is actually far greater than we had realised.”
Southworth indicated that further legal proceedings are possible, and there is “certainly a case” for additional action.
Victims Clara and Beth, who were instrumental in convicting Zou, also shared their experiences. After being raped by Zou in 2023, Beth initially tried to report the crime but backed out when she felt discouraged by the police’s response, including a poor translation during her 999 call.
Frustrated, she posted her experience online, leading Clara, another victim, to recognize Zou. Clara then came forward, and the police re-opened their investigation.
Clara’s testimony was taken via video link, with support from both the UK and Chinese authorities.
The Metropolitan Police has since expressed regret over their initial handling of Beth’s case, with Southworth noting that additional training is now being implemented for frontline officers.
Both Clara and Beth now encourage other victims to come forward, with Beth reflecting on the importance of her testimony.
“I thought for a long time that I wasn’t an important part of the case against Zou,” she said, adding that she was now glad to have testified.
