A woman, who claims to be a victim of a Chinese PhD student accused of drugging and assaulting ten women, informed police that she felt “disgusting” after regaining consciousness in his flat in south London, as revealed during a trial.
Jurors viewed a recorded police interview in which the woman asserted that Zhenhao Zou, 27, raped her after preventing her from leaving his residence in Elephant and Castle in May 2023.
She recounted to Det Con Emily Nice in February 2024 that they had been drinking wine together, but she began to perceive him as “odd” and wanted to depart; however, he refused to let her go, as stated in Inner London Crown Court.
Mr. Zou faces charges including 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 12 counts concerning the possession of extreme pornography, and one count of false imprisonment.
Additionally, he is charged with eight counts of possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
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In the police interview presented in court, the woman described an incident where she found herself crying on the floor, and when she attempted to leave, he forcibly pulled her back by her clothing and compelled her to consume vodka.
She expressed feelings of being “hopeless” and “out of control” and indicated that she was coerced into staying in the flat, the court was informed.
The woman stated that she requested 100,000 yuan (approximately £11,000) from Mr. Zou to remain, but clarified to the detective that she did not anticipate the defendant would actually pay, and this did not give him the right to engage in sexual acts with her.
She alleged that he raped her while she was unconscious.
When asked to recall her feelings during the incident, she told Det Con Nice: “I felt incredibly disgusting, yet I lacked the strength to resist him.”
She further remarked, “I can’t even remember when it ended because I had already passed out.”
Throughout the evening, she described feeling “dizzy” and “drowsy,” as presented in court.
Authorities discovered video evidence of the alleged assault filmed with a camera positioned beside his bed, along with explicit images of the woman found in Mr. Zou’s possession, the jury heard.
In the video played in court, the woman could be heard screaming and appeared to attempt to rise from the bed multiple times, only to be pushed back down by the defendant, according to prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC.
When questioned about her feelings following the incident, the alleged victim stated in the police interview: “I was unable to sleep or eat; I felt disgusting… physically it was much worse than mentally.”
She is one of only two individuals among Mr. Zou’s ten alleged victims who have been named by authorities.
The defendant is accused of drugging and assaulting ten women, comprising three in London and seven in China, as jurors were informed.
Prosecutors allege he recorded nine of the alleged victims, with the footage being displayed in court on Thursday.
Mr. Zou relocated to Belfast in 2017 to pursue studies at Queen’s University before moving to London in 2019 for a master’s program, followed by a PhD at UCL.
He intends to argue that the sexual encounters were consensual, that the women voluntarily consumed drugs and alcohol, and that some of the recorded material involved role-playing, as the jurors were told.
The trial is ongoing.
