33-Year-Old Chao Xu Jailed for Drugging, Raping, and Filming Sexual Attacks on Women

In a chilling case that has sent shockwaves through London and beyond, 33-year-old businessman Chao Xu has been sentenced to life imprisonment for a series of calculated sexual offences that spanned years. Arrested in June 2025, Xu pleaded guilty to 24 counts against six women, including four rapes, eight assaults by penetration, four sexual assaults, two instances of drugging, four voyeurism charges, and two upskirting offences.

At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, Judge Grout described him as “an incredibly dangerous man” whose actions were “calculated and planned,” posing a high risk to women. With a minimum term of 13 and a half years before parole eligibility, and the possibility of deportation as a foreign national, Xu’s case underscores the depths of predatory behaviour enabled by technology, drugs, and manipulation. Metropolitan Police fear he may be one of the worst sex offenders in British history, with potentially hundreds more victims yet to be identified amid millions of unexamined messages and data from seized devices.

Chao Xu’s modus operandi was disturbingly sophisticated. He lured young women—primarily of Chinese heritage, including students from Greenwich and King’s College London—to his Greenwich flat under the guise of parties or networking events. There, he served a cocktail dubbed “Spring of Life,” a blend of Chinese herbs and alcohol, which he secretly spiked with date rape drugs like GHB and scopolamine. Victims reported feeling everything but being paralysed, unable to resist as Xu filmed the assaults for his gratification.

Hidden cameras dotted his home—in air fresheners, sanitary product packets—and he used mobile phones for upskirting on London transport and at stations like London Bridge. The scale is staggering: police have identified at least seven assaulted women, three fully traced victims, and over 10 additional voyeurism complainants post-plea, with hundreds more potential in voyeurism alone. Xu edited footage into compilations, consumed extreme rape pornography, and escalated from voyeurism in 2021 to drug-facilitated rapes by 2025.

The Calculated Predatory Tactics of Chao Xu

Chao Xu’s offending was not impulsive but a meticulously orchestrated campaign of deception and control. Arriving in the UK in 2013 for a master’s at Greenwich University, he later pursued a PhD in international law in English and became a partner in a recruitment business. Friends described him as generous, offering career advice, which two victims said led them to trust him “like a brother.” This facade masked a predator who targeted vulnerable young women of Chinese heritage, exploiting cultural and academic networks.

His home in Greenwich was a trap rigged with surveillance. Police discovered a “phalanx of cameras” concealed in everyday items: air fresheners in bathrooms, even a packet of female sanitary products. These captured unsuspecting victims—friends, flatmates, colleagues—in intimate moments. Chao Xu’s boldness extended public: he upskirted strangers on escalators at London Bridge station and across the transport network, using his phone covertly. Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC told the court Xu struck “anywhere—at his own home, place of work, train stations—and in respect of anyone: friends, flatmates, colleagues, strangers.” No woman was safe.

The escalation to drugging marked his most heinous phase. At parties, Xu prepared “Spring of Life,” spiking select drinks with GHB or scopolamine. Victims lost motor control but retained sensation, a nightmare of awareness without agency. One PhD student, assaulted over hours while filmed, described feeling Xu’s actions but being powerless. Another woke intermittently to him atop her, phone in hand, recording repeated attacks. Xu refused to show one victim his phone the morning after; her demand and subsequent police call from his flat led to his arrest. Officers arrived to Xu handing over his device and PIN—perhaps underestimating the evidence trove.

Read : Serial Rapist Chao Xu Who Hid Camera in Air Freshener Pleads Guilty to 24 Offenses

Xu’s digital hoard revealed a voyeuristic obsession. He compiled edited videos for personal use, watched extreme material prompting further charges, and offended from 2021 in the UK, possibly earlier in China. Refusing police interviews with “no comment” in Mandarin (despite English fluency), he required court interpreters. Det Supt Lewis Sanderson called him “among the most dangerous and prolific sexual offenders we have ever encountered,” with crimes “calculated, sustained and devastating.” Similar to Zhenhao Zou—jailed for drugging and filming 10 women—but unlinked, Xu’s case highlights a pattern among some offenders using heritage ties.

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His planning was evident in victim selection: students past and present from specific universities, lured via trust-building. Farrelly noted his emboldenment, starting with hidden recordings and progressing to incapacitation for prolonged abuse. This wasn’t opportunity; it was strategy, gaining confidence to render women helpless while documenting for replay. The drugs ensured compliance; the cameras immortalised dominance. Police praise the victim who called from his flat: without her bravery, Xu might still prowl.

The Devastating Human Toll on Victims

Beyond statistics, Chao Xu’s crimes shattered lives, leaving psychological scars that may never heal. One victim, the PhD student, stated in court: “He stole the person I was… He has changed me. I feel that I can never go back to who I was.” She endures sleepless nights, anxiety, and fear of repeat attacks. “I’m not sure how this is ever mended,” she said, her words echoing the irreversible trauma.

Another felt “like she had lost control of her body, could not open her eyes,” per the prosecutor. Victims described paralysis amid awareness—feeling violations but unable to scream or fight. Two fear revenge, one saying Xu is “a shadow in my heart.” These aren’t abstract; they’re daily torments: trust eroded, intimacy tainted, futures dimmed.

The woman who triggered the arrest attended a networking party, accepted a drink, then faded in and out with Xu assaulting her, filming. Morning confrontation and police call exposed him, but her ordeal lingers. Police identified three core victims, seven assaulted, hundreds in voyeurism. Many may not know they’re recorded, footage potentially shared or stored. Xu’s targeting of Chinese-heritage women added cultural betrayal. Viewing him as familial, they let guards down. One said she trusted him implicitly. This manipulation compounds harm, isolating victims in communities where stigma silences.

Judge Grout highlighted enjoyment derived from attacks, drugs, and recordings. Victims’ statements reveal stolen autonomy: bodies invaded, memories weaponised. Therapy, support networks, and justice offer paths, but as one said, mending is uncertain. Police urge contacts in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese, emphasising victim-led identification.

Wider Societal and Legal Ramifications

Xu’s case exposes vulnerabilities in urban, digital, and immigrant societies, prompting urgent reflections on prevention, detection, and justice. As a foreign national offending from 2021-2025 (possibly pre-UK), it raises immigration scrutiny questions without generalisation. Deportation liability post-sentence underscores consequences, but core issue is unchecked predation.

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Technologically, hidden cameras and phones democratise voyeurism, but Xu’s scale—millions of messages, vast data—overwhelms investigations. Police still analysing Mandarin content; full victim count could dwarf known figures, cementing him as historic offender. This strains resources, delays closure. Drug-facilitated assaults highlight GHB/scopolamine dangers in social settings. “Spring of Life” masked toxins; education on drink spiking, buddy systems, is vital. Universities like Greenwich and King’s must enhance safeguards for international students, often isolated.

Legally, life sentence with 13.5-year minimum signals zero tolerance, but parole risk terrifies victims. Further charges from pornography loom. Comparison to Zou suggests emergent trends among some Chinese-national offenders in UK—drug-film-assault—but police confirm no link, avoiding stereotypes while noting patterns for vigilance. Societally, it challenges male entitlement, consent culture. Xu’s boldness in public/private spaces demands better transport CCTV, workplace policies. For Chinese communities, support without stigma; reports in native languages aid.

Ultimately, victim bravery halted him. DCS Angela Cragg and Sanderson stress this. As data unfolds, society must fortify: tech regulations on hidden devices, drug testing kits, predator profiling without bias. Chao Xu’s jailment is justice, but prevention honours survivors. His shadow lingers; collective action can dispel it.