A man believed to be one of the worst serial rapists in British history has been given a life sentence for crimes that police say were "vile and depraved." Zhenhao Zou, a 28-year-old former PhD student from China, was convicted earlier this year of raping 10 women—seven in China and three in London, where he preyed on his fellow Chinese students. Since his conviction, more than 20 other women have come forward to say he attacked them, and dozens of other victims he filmed on secret cameras remain unidentified, the Guardian reports. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 24 years on Thursday.
Police said Zou met women through dating apps, lured them to his luxury apartment, and gave them drug-laced drinks that left them physically incapacitated or unconscious, the New York Times reports. In many of the videos that investigators found at his apartment, women could be heard pleading for him to stop. Kevin Southworth, the Metropolitan Police commander who led the investigation, said that by convincing the women to visit his apartment voluntarily and giving them drugs that affected their memories, Zou was trying to reduce the risk they would report him to police. "I think he is someone who is arrogant enough to believe they could get away with this," Southworth said, per the Times.
Judge Rosina Cottage told Zou he treated the women like "rag dolls," per the BBC. She told him he has "no understanding of the meaning of consent," adding, "There is a high level of danger because of your distorted thinking." Police believe some victims may have no memories of the attacks. "I have lost faith in human beings, I have no trust in others," one woman said in a victim impact statement, per PA Media. "Before this incident, I was not aware that a human could do such evil things. When I meet with strangers, I get flashbacks of what he did." Authorities say more charges are possible for Zou, who volunteered to be chemically castrated in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence. (More United Kingdom stories.)
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