A young woman from China recounted her experience of confronting a PhD student weeks after he allegedly assaulted her while she was intoxicated and unconscious in his south London residence.
The individual, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, testified at the Inner London Crown Court that she was roused to find Zhenhao Zou forcibly engaging in sexual activity with her.
During her testimony to the jury, she shared that in a subsequent phone conversation, “he mentioned that he believed I was awake at the time, but I disagreed.”
Mr. Zou, who had traveled from China to pursue his studies at University College London (UCL), faces trial for allegedly raping ten women, charges he firmly denies.
The woman revealed to the jury that she first encountered Mr. Zou in August 2021 and that they had consensual sexual relations at his home in Elephant and Castle. However, while providing evidence via video link from China, she expressed that their relationship had its challenges.
“I felt he was trying to limit our relationship to a purely sexual one, whereas I desired a more romantic connection,” she stated.
In messages shared through the WeChat app, Mr. Zou often indicated that he was too occupied with his studies to meet her, although he did stay the night at her flat in Canary Wharf once.
On September 13, 2021, they gathered with friends at a hotpot eatery in London’s Chinatown named Haidilao.
In a police interview shown to the jury, the woman recounted that she became extremely intoxicated that night from Jack Daniel’s whiskey and awoke to find Mr. Zou engaged in sexual activity with her in his student accommodation.
She reported to the police that she had voiced a “no” before losing consciousness once more.
During her video testimony on Monday, she expressed: “At that moment, I had already lost consciousness. The force of the encounter roused me, and I informed him that I was on my period.”
She recounted leaving his flat the following morning while still very inebriated and later conveyed to the jury, “I was grappling with my thoughts.”
“I was uncertain whether the events of that night constituted sexual assault. My understanding of the situation was not as defined then as it is now.”
As time passed, she grew increasingly angered by the realization that he had acted without her consent.
She told the jury that she came to understand that “his actions at his place were deliberate.”
On October 27, a series of voice messages were exchanged between her and Zhenhao Zou, including a text from him declaring, “I did not do that.”
She recounted a WeChat call where she confronted Zhenhao Zou, saying, “I was in such a condition and yet you still did it to me.”
He responded by asserting that he thought she was conscious at the time, a claim she disputed.
Zhenhao Zou is currently on trial at Inner London Crown Court facing eleven counts of rape involving ten different women, eight of whom remain unidentified by the police.
He denies a total of 35 charges, which include rape, false imprisonment, voyeurism, possession of extreme pornographic material, and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.
The trial is ongoing.
