A Chinese PhD student who has been accused of drugging and raping 10 women was “a persistent sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist,” a jury has heard.
Zhenhao Zou, 27, faces 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 12 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and eight of possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply.
The student appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday and denied all charges.
Mr Zou moved to Belfast in 2017 to study at Queen’s University before relocating to London in 2019 to do a master’s degree and then a PhD at UCL. He is accused of raping the women between September 2019 and May 2023.
Catherine Farrelly opened the prosecution case by saying: “To the outside world, he undoubtedly presents as a smart and charming young man.
“However, as you know from the indictment in this case, the document which contains 35 separate criminal allegations against him, the prosecution say that he is also a persistent sexual predator; a voyeur and a rapist.”
She added: “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 those drinks or drugs, he would then rape them.
“Often, he would record himself doing so and during this trial, you will be shown several recordings 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.”
Alleged video recordings of nine of 10 women
Police have identified two of the 10 alleged victims, the court was told.
It is claimed there are video recordings relating to nine of the 10 women, for which Mr Zou is charged with possessing extreme pornographic images. There are also two other recordings in which the male involved cannot be identified.
Mr Zou will argue the sexual interactions were consensual, the judge told jurors.
He will say drugs and alcohol were voluntarily consumed by the women and some of the footage captured involved role playing.
Mr Zou is also accused of eight counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, allegedly MDMA, ketamine, butanediol and alprazolam.
He denies possessing MDMA or ketamine and claims the butanediol and alprazolam were for personal use.