Twenty-three women have made reports to the Metropolitan Police Service following their appeal to trace potential victim-survivors of convicted rapist Zhenhao Zou. Detectives believe there are still more women yet to be identified and are renewing their appeal in the hope that further victim-survivors come forward and access specialist support.
Zou – a Chinese PHD student who had been living in London – was convicted of raping ten women in March 2025 following an extensive and complex Met investigation. The jury unanimously found him guilty of these rape charges after hearing evidence that he had committed crimes across two continents – both in the UK and in China.
While detectives identified two of the women Zou was convicted of raping, eight remained unidentified throughout the investigation and subsequent trial.
Following the conclusion of court proceedings, investigators also revealed that they had evidence to suggest that there may be more than 50 other victim-survivors who had not yet been traced.
Since the Met’s appeal, 23 women have already made reports and investigators believe there could yet be further victims and survivors of Zou.
Some of these women currently live in the UK, while others are living in China and other parts of the world. These reports highlight the scale of the international investigation and the complexities faced by officers in their pursuit of justice.
Multiple people have also come forward to share key information and assist with inquiries about whom officers treat as potential witnesses.
Specialist officers from the Met have spoken with all of the women who have come forward, and enquiries continue into any potential crimes that the criminal justice process has not yet processed.
Dedicated officers are liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service as they build a file of evidence to submit for further consideration by prosecutors. This will follow Zou’s sentencing, which is scheduled for June 2025.
As part of this update, the investigation team is once again appealing for further victim-survivors to come forward, where they will receive specialist support. Beyond the women who have come forward, officers believe that there are still more victim-survivors to be traced.
