‘Why me?’: Full victim impact statements from UCL student rapist sentencing

TW: Rape, self harm, medication use

Yesterday, UCL student Zhenhou Zou was sentenced to life in prison for raping 10 women, and will serve a minimum of 24 years behind bars.

The former PhD student was convicted in March of 35 offences, including 11 counts of rape, three counts of voyeurism, 12 of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of false imprisonment, and eight of possession of drugs with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Yesterday (19th June) at the Inner London Crown Court, Zou was sentenced for 28 of these offences, including the rapes of 10 women.

However, the Met Police are now saying he could’ve committed more than 60 assaults over a number of years, following his trial in March, as over 24 more women have come forward to accuse Zou of sexual offences.

During the sentencing hearing, witness impact statements of two of the victims were heard. Here are what the full statements said:

Statement 1

“I have had psychological issues for a long time, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in China. Due to my mother having BPD, I was also diagnosed with BPD. I have a long history of self-harm.

“In 2019, I was hospitalised in a psychiatric hospital in China, and then again in 2020, where I underwent electroconvulsive therapy. From 2017 to 2021, I self-harmed frequently, resulting in over 200 visible scars on my body. I remember once requiring over 100 stitches, and I also engaged in self-harm after drinking on several occasions after I turned 18.

“The crime has had a severe impact on my mental health. In the days following the incident, I could only drink soup, as I had no appetite and felt nauseous when I attempted to eat.

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“No matter what I did, I could not sleep; whenever I closed my eyes, the events of what happened to me kept replaying in my mind.

‘I could not escape the haunting thoughts’

“During that time, I felt confused about my situation, and angry about why the perpetrator would do such a thing. I often wondered, “Why me? Why was I treated like this?”

“My anxiety became overwhelming, and I was unable to make any decisions. After reporting the crime, I feared being judged by others, which added more pressure to my mental state. For three days, I tried to take three sedative pills to help myself sleep, but they did not work.

“Even with the medication, I could not escape the haunting thoughts, and when I closed my eyes, I could not stop recalling what had happened.

“I experienced auditory hallucinations, I do not know whether it was due to my sleep deprivation or the stress of the situation, but I kept hearing music in my home. Everywhere I went I heard singing, this happened for days.

“I will still hearing this when police came to my address, but they told me there was no music. Since the medication I bought did not work, I eventually went to the emergency room hoping they could prescribe stronger sedatives. However, the doctors told me they couldn’t help and that I would need to consult my GP, but I knew the process of getting medication through the GP would take a long time, so I gave up.

“During this period, I chose to report the crime, but because the case was not immediately filed, I felt a great deal of psychological pressure. I started to doubt the adequacy of my evidence, and the pain of recalling the event, the confusion of my memories, and my uncertainty made it impossible to continue with the legal process.

“In the end, I decided to withdraw my report. While this brought temporary relief, as I felt I had done the only thing I could, the anxiety inside me never went away. I constantly think about what happened, and I believed the perpetrator was a repeat offender.

“I was afraid he would continue to commit crimes, and felt a responsibility to warn others, while also longing for support and encouragement. So, I began posting about the incident on social media.

‘I no longer believe in the inherent goodness of people’

“Although many posts contained support and condemnation of the crime, which gave me some comfort, there were also many hurtful comments that caused me great pain. Some people blamed me for going to the perpetrator’s house, for drinking with him, and said that by going, I had consented. I could not bear these accusations and eventually deleted the posts.

“This incident exacerbated my psychological symptoms, especially when I was alone at home.

“I often feel hyper-alert, fearing that someone will break into my house and do something to me.

“I feel that many people are blaming me for going to his house. For a long time, I could not socialise with others normally, and I kept thinking back to that situation.

“To cope with the trauma, I often rely on medication to numb my emotions. Since I had a large supply of psychiatric medication, I tried taking them to escape the emotional pain, numbing my awareness of reality.

“In fact, I cannot determine how long this incident will affect me, but I know that the impact has deeply affected my personality, and it will likely persist long-term.

“I no longer believe in the inherent goodness of people, because I have never encountered such severe criminal behaviour before. I am constantly confused about why some people are capable of doing such terrible things.

“When I recall that night, I think I should have done more, perhaps I should have screamed and called the police, instead of just screaming, which didn’t change much. Maybe I should have destroyed his belongings, but I didn’t do any of that. This sense of guilt has continued to haunt me.

‘I was not aware that a human could do such evil things’

‘Souvenirs’ Zou kept from his victims via Met Police

“I am still at university, and my life here has been very difficult. I have found studying hard to keep on top of, my anxiety is so bad sometimes I cannot concentrate. This is because the incident is always on my mind. I no longer am able to attend in person lectures as there are too many people there, and this results in extreme anxiety.

“Instead, I have to watch all my lectures on recordings. My social life with friends has been impacted, I am now reluctant to go to new social gatherings and make friends. This is because I have lost faith in human beings, I have no trust in others.

“I was not aware that a human could do such evil things.

“When I meet with strangers, I get flashbacks of what he did. This is why I try and avoid these situations.

“The only thing I remember from 2024 is when I took 20 pills of Xiprasidone (a mental health medication). My mood was very bad, and I kept thinking about everything that had happened in the past.

“I am accustomed to using physical pain to relieve underlying psychological trauma because I do not want to feel any emotional fluctuations.

“However, afterward, the police contacted me again, and I found new hope in the case. Although recalling the events is extremely painful for me, I was willing to do anything for the perpetrator’s conviction.

“I cannot pinpoint the exact periods when I took the medication because I often stop taking it for a while when I feel better, and then resume taking it when I deteriorate.

“Sometime, I will use psychiatric medication’s side effects to inflict pain on myself because if I stop taking it for a while and then take a large dose, I experience strong side effects. I believe this replaces physical self-harm, as my parents would worry about me self-harming.

‘I am in so much mental agony and pain’

“In 2025, I heard about the victim in the video from the news, which made me think of myself again, and I became anxious, recalling the events. When I went to court, I could hardly sleep due to the intense anxiety. I was worried that the jury would condemn me, just like those comments on social media, asking why I went to his house.

“I often think about the future, and do not know how it looks for me.

“I have lost interest in the majority of the things I used to enjoy, and do not know how I will re-build my life.

“Initially I felt a renewed sense of courage to face the past and begin moving forward with my life, and the conviction provided me with some short term relief. However, I swap between feeling relieved but then am overcome with despair.

“It has definitely exacerbated my mental health issues, and I am in so much mental agony and pain. I am not sure anything will help what I have gone through.

“When I heard that he had been found guilty, I was very pleased but even more pleased as I knew that women were safe, and there would be no more victims who would have to go through what I have gone through.

“My main worry was that he may do this again. To this day he insists it was consensual sex, which is crazy to me. He has shown no remorse for what he has done.

“I have only told my family about what happened since his conviction, and they are extremely angry. I do not know what further impact it will have on them as it has still not sunk in, but they just are concerned and want me to be ok.

“They have expressed that they want him to be punished for the offences he has committed against me, whether that be in the UK or in China. I know that it is a possibility that one day he may be released from prison. If this is to happen, I would not feel safe.

“My only feeling towards him is fear, nothing else.

Zhenhao Zou via Met Police

“When I see his image I am overcome with fear. I know his family is very powerful in China, and he may blame me for ruining his what was a potentially prosperous future. I believe he would confront me and seek revenge by doing horrible things. I know what he is capable of.

“I fear if he is released he will commit the same crime again, I do not think he has learnt his lesson, or ever will.

“I told him in 2023 I had reported the case, and although I withdrew it, I know now that he carried on doing this horrible things.

“I do not think he would ever stop. I only feel safe in the knowledge he is in prison, and if this were to change I do not think I would ever feel safe.

“The only thing I want him to know is that if he does this again, I will do everything in my power to send him back to prison. He should never get away with what he has done, and for that he deserves to be in prison for life for the safety of society.”

Statement 2

“I met Zhenhao Zou in 2021 , at that time, I did not have experience about dating, I was filled with romantic anticipation.

“At that time, we did engage in two consensual sexual encounters. He told me he was hurt by others in relationships, and he felt sacred to be in a relationship.

“Mr Zou repeatedly told me I was the perfect girlfriend choice to keep me by his side, but every time I asked if he wanted to be in a relationship, he would dodge the question. Moreover he showed that he was a strongly positive person.

“Besides, he said he was not that rich and so following on from this, I paid for dinner, food deliveries and drinks at the beginning, while we were getting to know each other.

“He implied to me that I could be in relationship with him if I treated him better. He also directly asked me to give him expensive skincare products.

“Little did I know at the time that he was exploiting both my money and my vulnerability.

“Being treated like this has caused extreme distortion in how I perceive love and relationships now.

‘I was completely powerless’

“On the day of the sexual assault I had invited him to join the dinner I was having with friends, however I did not ask him to join the drinking party which followed. He just took it upon himself and followed me and my friends to the place of drinking.

“An awkward silence hung between us. None of my party could bring ourselves to tell him to leave, so he stayed.

“Later on that night, I experienced for the first time a loss of consciousness. I opened my eyes for a few seconds during the sexual assault in his room, he was thrusting violently against my body.

Butanediol which Zou used to incapacitate his victims via Met Police

“I was completely powerless and could only use all my strength to tell him I was menstruating and demand he stop his actions.

“Although I lost consciousness just moments later, his face in that moment will clearly stay in my mind forever. As a result I now experience severe physical and psychological distress.

‘Everything in this world-my memories, time, even my own body-no longer felt like mine’

“Even as I type these words, waves of nausea and disgust keep overwhelming me. After the assault I woke up, naked, with nothing covering my body, lying next to him. Panic surged through me-everything about the room I was in was unfamiliar and I had no memory of how I got there.

“That night, it was as if the world had vanished from my life for hours. Everything in this world-my memories, time, even my own body-no longer felt like mine.

“Frantically, I searched for my phone and clothes, but my phone was dead. Overwhelmed by fear, my only thought was to escape.

“Stumbling out of his room, I found myself in a completely unknown place. I didn’t know where I was or how to leave. The memories of that night were fragmented-I only recall wandering like a trapped animal, desperately searching for an exit.

“For over a week afterward, I locked myself in my bathroom, consumed by terror, confusion, anger, and shame.

“I was on my period, exposed and violated without my consent. The humiliation of being stripped of dignity, treated as nothing more than an object for his gratification, haunts me to this day.

“Even now, thinking about it makes me feel physically ill, and I still break down in tears. Words cannot fully capture the emotions I felt then or the pain I carry now.

“I was too afraid to confront him. The thought that he might have taken photos of my assault-images of my most vulnerable, degrading moments and it terrified me. The idea of him sharing them with others paralysed me with dread. I couldn’t bear the possibility, so I chose to run, to hide.

“His actions robbed me of the courage to defend my own rights.

“That night, I remember him wiping my body with something cold and wet. The violation of my most intimate space made me feel inhuman, like a thing to be used and discarded.

‘Alone in a place far from home, I had no one to turn to’

“For a long time afterward, I blamed myself – wondering if I had given him the wrong impression, if he thought I was ‘easy’, if our past consensual encounters meant he no longer needed my permission.

“I hated him, but I also hated myself for failing to protect my own body.

“That same night, I lost my ID and bank card, adding to the chaos. I couldn’t bring myself to tell my friends or family. Alone in a place far from home, I had no one to turn to. I sat silently in my bathroom, drowning in isolation, powerlessness and despair.

“He preyed on my vulnerability, trying to stay in contact with me, reopening the wound every time. Each attempt to reach me forced his face-the face of my abuser -back into my mind.

“When he tried to add me on social media a third time, I finally snapped. I confronted him, trembling with rage and grief, demanding to know why he had done this to me.

“But he lied. First, he denied everything. When I pushed back, he claimed he thought I was “aware” during the assault. And when I kept speaking my truth, he hung up and blocked me. No apology. No accountability. Even the call records from our last conversation mysteriously vanished by the time of the trial.

Zou during a police interview via Met Police

“Years have passed, but I still can’t read news about him or see his photo without feeling sick.

“The memories trigger migraines, physical pain in the places he violated, and an overwhelming urge to scrub myself clean.

“When I learned how many others he had hurt, I spent sleepless nights, crying until exhaustion took over. I was consumed by guilt-why hadn’t I spoken up sooner.

“All this time, I’ve kept this as a secret buried deep in my heart-unable to share my experience with anyone, not even my family. My parents have never been in the best health, and I couldn’t bear to let them hear such news and worry about me.

“Only now do I feel that I finally have the chance to speak about what happened and how I’ve felt.

“Living alone in a place so far from home was never easy to begin with, but what happened that night shattered me completely.

“I used to face the world and its people with optimism and trust, but after that night, I became a deeply pessimistic and insecure person.

“I could no longer bring myself to believe in the kindness of those around me, and I recoiled from anyone who tried to get close.

“To this day, I struggle to trust anyone. I avoid new friendships, trapped in the aftermath of what he did.

“Even now, as I write this statement through tears, I know words will never fully convey the depth of this wound. But one thing is certain: what happened that night is etched into my soul forever.

“His face, his expression-they will never leave me.”

“I will never forgive him.”

If you need support regarding any of the themes in this article, you can contact Rape Crisis England and Wales. Additionally, if you have any information you wish to give to the police regarding Zhenhao Zou, you may do so via this link.