A PhD student accused of raping 10 women drugged his victims before filming his attacks as “souvenirs” for his own “sexual gratification”, a court has heard.
Zhenhao Zou, 27, a Chinese national, was described as seemingly charming and smart, but was in fact a “predator, voyeur and rapist” who ignored pleas from his victims to stop, a jury was told.
He denies all charges against him and the court heard Zou will argue the encounters, which were caught on videos he made, were consensual.
The jury at Inner London crown court heard that video footage of Zou’s alleged attacks shows his victims were at times motionless, with some begging him to stop and telling of the pain he was causing them. Eight of the women in the clips used as evidence against Zou are yet to be identified.
Zou was at University College London from 2019 studying for a master’s degree in engineering and then a PhD. He came to Britain in September 2017 and studied first at Queen’s University in Belfast.
When he was arrested in London and his electronic devices searched, a document on “Club Drugs and Their Acute Toxic Effects” was found.
The prosecutor, Catherine Farrelly KC, said: “To the outside world, he undoubtedly presents as a smart and charming young man. The prosecution says that he is also a persistent sexual predator; a voyeur and a rapist.
“The prosecution case at this trial is that he would meet women, he would stupefy them, either with drink or drugs, and, once they were significantly under the influence of drink or drugs, he would rape them. Often, he would record himself doing so …”
The jury heard that Zou faced 35 counts on the indictment against him and they would be shown some of the videos, which the crown said showed his guilt.
Farrelly said: “Often, he would record himself doing so and you will be shown several recordings during this trial, which the prosecution says are the defendant’s souvenirs of many rapes that he had committed; items that he kept for his own private sexual gratification, so that he could watch, at his leisure, his rapes of these women, who he had rendered often unconscious and totally vulnerable to his will.”
In all, Zou faces 11 counts of rape against 10 women, three counts of voyeurism, 12 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and eight of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.
It took 15 minutes to read all the counts to the jury. Zou was helped to follow proceedings by an interpreter.
Farrelly said: “The prosecution bases its case upon videos that police have found on the defendant’s mobile telephone and two cameras belonging to the defendant.”
The jury was told it would hear from two women who had been identified by detectives. Videos, the prosecutor said, were recovered by police of attacks on nine of the 10 women.
Searches of Zou’s home found various drugs alleged to be MDMA, butanediol, ketamine and alprazolam. He claimed he had one of them to use as a skin moisturiser.
Farrelly said: “The prosecution case is that these are the exact kinds of drugs that the defendant could covertly use by slipping them into a drink to stupefy his victims so that he could rape them, and this was the reason that he was in possession of them.”
Police in London were first contacted in May 2023, by a woman: “In the call, she explained that she’d been given alcohol and that the male had not let her leave. She said that he had forced her to drink a lot of alcohol and had then raped her.”
Later this woman posted on social media naming Zou, and was contacted by another woman “who had said she had had a similar experience”, the jury was told.
The jury was told during one video alleged to show an attack, a woman said: “I really don’t want … I beg you, don’t do this …”, and Zou replied: “… don’t push me, it’s pointless … The sound insulation here is very good.”
The jury was told that Zou’s defence was that one complainant agreed to have sex and “had asked him for money and was angry when he didn’t pay her”.
Farrelly said that victim went to Zou’s then south London home for drinks and felt tired. Zou had sex with her and she told police: “I can’t fight back, I have no strength”, and was raped while unconcious.
Video recovered later of the incident shot by a camera on a bedside table shows the young woman and Zou talking in a Chinese language.
Farrelly said the woman’s speech becomes slurred, she complains of feeling unwell and wanting to go home, later telling him not to restrain her, screaming and trying to “get up from the bed on several occasions and the defendant pushes her back down each time”.
The trial continues.
