U.K. police fear serial rapist may have had more than 50 other victims as more women come forward

Zhenhao Zou, a serial rapist who was convicted of raping 10 women in the United Kingdom and China last month, also attacked dozens more victims before he was arrested, police said on April 2. (Metropolitan Police/AP via CNN Newsource)

A serial rapist who was convicted of raping 10 women in the United Kingdom and China last month also attacked dozens more victims before he was arrested, police said on Wednesday.

London’s Metropolitan Police Service said that 23 women came forward with new accusations against Zhenhao Zou following an appeal to trace other potential victims of the man described by the police as a “dangerous and prolific sexual predator.”

Zou, 28, was found guilty in March of 11 counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment, three counts of voyeurism and a number of other offenses, including the possession of extreme pornographic images and the possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Investigators said that evidence, including videos found on Zou’s devices, suggested there may be more than 50 other survivors who have not yet been identified.

Some of the women who contacted the police with new accusations against Zou are in the UK, some are in China, and some in other parts of the world, the police said on Wednesday.

Zou, who is originally from Dongguan in China, has lived in various parts of the world, including China, Belfast in Northern Ireland, and London.

The Metropolitan Police force has appealed for survivors and potential witnesses to contact officers through a secure portal.

The police and prosecutors said Zou, who also went by the name Pakho online, used WeChat and dating apps to meet other students of Chinese heritage. He would invite them for drinks, drug them and then assault them in his apartments in London and in China.

Prosecutors said many of his victims were “unconscious and rendered defenceless” by the drugs he had given them. He secretly filmed some of his attacks using a mobile device and hidden cameras, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. The police said he also took items from his victims, such as jewelry and clothing.

The police said Zou “manipulated and drugged women in order to prey on them in the most cowardly way.”

A PhD student at University College London, Zou was arrested in January 2024 after one of his victims reported him to the police.

Prosecutors said last month that the “courageous women who came forward to report Zhenhao Zou’s heinous crimes” have been “incredibly strong and brave” and that there was “no doubt” that their evidence led to his convictions.

Zou will be sentenced later this year, according to the police.

Article written by Ivana Kottasová, CNN