1 week ago
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A student raped 10 women he had plied with alcohol or drugs and videoed his attacks as “souvenirs” for his own gratification, a court has heard.
Zhenhao Zou, 27, a Chinese national, was described as a “predator, voyeur and rapist”. He denies all charges against him.
He was at University College London from 2019 studying engineering for a master’s degree and then a PhD. He came to Britain in September 2017 and studied first at Queen’s University in Belfast.
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 was told Zou faced 35 counts on the indictment against him and they would be shown some of the videos, which the crown said showed Zou’s guilt.
Farrelly said the recordings were “kept for his own private sexual gratification”.
She added: “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 at Inner London crown court. Eight of the women are yet to be identified.
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.
Police in London were first contacted in May 2023, by a woman who called them: “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.
Judge Cottage told the jury in legal directions that consent would be a key issue in the trial as would each woman’s capacity to consent. The judge said the jury should put aside any emotion or any assumptions about rape and how those who are attacked react afterwards.
The trial continues.
