An incredibly dangerous sex offender who drugged his victims and used a network of hidden spy cameras to film his crimes has been jailed for life, as police launch an urgent appeal for hundreds of potential victims to come forward.
A Predator's Deceptive World
Chao Xu, a 33-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years. The judge described him as an incredibly dangerous man who took great pleasure in his offending.
Xu, who previously studied as a law postgraduate at the University of Greenwich and ran a recruitment business, specifically targeted victims at networking events held at his flat in Greenwich, south-east London. He concocted a special drink, which he called his Spring of Life cocktail, a mixture of alcohols and Chinese herbal medicines designed to sedate his guests.
The Extent of the Crimes
Police investigations revealed a sophisticated operation of covert surveillance. Xu had planted hidden cameras inside everyday objects such as air fresheners, sanitary packaging, and speakers positioned around his home.
Officers discovered thousands of pictures and videos, many showing unconscious or incapacitated victims. His criminal activities were not confined to his home; he also committed upskirting offences, covertly filming women at London Bridge station and other locations during their daily commutes.
In August, Xu pleaded guilty to 24 sex offences committed between 2021 and 2025 relating to six victims, with charges for a seventh woman left to lie on file. The charges included:
- Four counts of rape
- Eight counts of assault by penetration
- Four counts of sexual assault
- Four counts of voyeurism
- Two counts of administering a substance with intent
- Two counts of upskirting
Hundreds More Victims Feared
Following his conviction, a further 11 alleged victims have come forward, but the Metropolitan Police believe the true scale of his offending is far greater. Detectives suspect there could be hundreds more victims both in the UK and China, with offences committed in workplaces, public spaces, and overseas.
Acting Detective Superintendent Lewis Sanderson, speaking outside the court, stated: Chao Xu was a prolific and predatory sexual offender who committed some of the most cowardly and abhorrent crimes imaginable. His actions caused deep and lasting harm.
He confirmed that all known sexual assault victims were Chinese women aged between 18 and 30, while the voyeurism victims were young women of different ethnicities. He added that many women may be unaware they were victimised, having been drugged by Xu.
The investigation was triggered after a networking event in June 2025, where Xu raped a woman multiple times after she became unwell from a drink he had given her. The subsequent probe involved sifting through six million messages on the Chinese app WeChat, requiring extensive translation from Mandarin.
This case bears a disturbing resemblance to that of another Chinese national, Zhenhao Zou, a PhD student who was jailed for life in June for drugging and raping 10 women in London and China.
