February 3rd 2025.
Zhenhao Zou, a 27-year-old PhD student from China, is currently facing trial at Inner London Crown Court for 11 counts of rape. One of his alleged victims, a woman, recounted her harrowing experience in court, claiming that Zou had raped her while she was unconscious after forcefully preventing her from leaving his flat in Elephant and Castle on May 18, 2023.
The woman shared that she had tried to leave Zou's home, but he had grabbed her clothes and pulled her back. She stated that he then forced her to drink vodka and dragged her into his bedroom, where she eventually passed out. It was at this point, she said, that Zou raped her. The police later discovered video footage of the alleged rape on a camera near Zou's bed, as well as graphic photographs of the woman in his possession.
The woman is one of 10 alleged victims accusing Zou of drugging and raping them, with three incidents occurring in London and seven in China. However, she and one other victim are the only ones identified by the police. In her police interview, the woman described how she and Zou had been drinking wine together at his flat, but she began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
She shared that Zou had refused to let her go, and she had even asked for 100,000 Chinese currency in exchange for staying. However, she clarified that she didn't expect him to actually pay and that this did not give him the right to have sexual relations with her. During her testimony in court, she explained that the money was meant as compensation and that Zou had agreed to pay while they were drinking together. But, she reiterated that this agreement did not give him consent to engage in any sexual activities with her.
The next day, on May 19, the woman messaged Zou, informing him that she had left her bag at his flat. He responded, claiming he had drunk too much and either admitting to doing something wrong or saying that what happened was wrong. He also asked to discuss the situation when they met later. The woman replied, telling him to think about what he had done and later clarified that she was referring to the fact that he had forced her to stay and raped her.
On May 20, the woman sent Zou messages, calling him disgusting and saying that he should feel guilty for his actions. When asked to explain, she stated that he had raped her while she was intoxicated and prevented her from going home. She also mentioned that she planned to expose him without revealing his name or picture. She eventually wrote about her experience in online groups, hoping to receive support and feel better.
On May 21, the woman informed Zou that she had called the police. The court then played the woman's phone call, which she had made at 4:21 am that day. She explained that she hadn't been able to sleep for three days and decided to call the police. The prosecution also shared that Zou had filmed nine of his alleged victims, with footage of their interactions being shown in court the previous week.
Zou, who moved to Belfast in 2017 to study at Queen's University before coming to London in 2019 for his master's and PhD at UCL, denies the 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 12 counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one count of false imprisonment, and eight counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. His defense is that the sexual encounters were consensual, and the drugs and alcohol were consumed voluntarily by the women. He also claims that some of the footage captured involved role-playing. The trial is ongoing.
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