'Prolific' rapist who drugged women gets life term

Chao Xu is believed to have sexually assaulted more women and police are urging them to come forward

A serial rapist thought to be "one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time" who drugged, raped and secretly filmed his victims has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.

Chao Xu, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to 24 sexual offences, including sexual assault, voyeurism and upskirting against six women between November 2021 and June 2025.

Sentencing Xu at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Christopher Grout described him as a "sexual predator" and "an incredibly dangerous man".

Police believe the total number of his victims is in the hundreds and have appealed for women who were abused by Xu to contact them.

'Spring of life'

The 33-year-old, who has lived in the UK since 2016 and is a graduate of the University of Greenwich, hosted networking events at his flat in south-east London, where he spiked drinks and raped some of the women who attended, detectives said.

They found videos on his devices in which he had recorded himself raping women who seemed incapacitated or unconscious.

Xu, who was the director of a recruitment business that helped recent Chinese graduates secure employment in London, set up secret cameras at his flat in an air-freshener and in a speaker to allow him to film people showering, using the toilet and getting changed.

He would supply drinks, including a cocktail he dubbed the "spring of life" that contained a mixture of alcohol and Chinese herbal medicines.

Police found he had made "compilations" from his voyeuristic activities, editing together recordings of him raping women who were incapacitated.

The "spring of life" cocktail, which contained a mixture of alcohol and Chinese herbal medicines

"Upon forensic examination of Xu's phone, officers uncovered deeply disturbing material," Acting Det Supt Lewis Sanderson said.

"The device contained videos and images taken from a point-of-view perspective, showing Xu raping and seriously sexually assaulting women who appear to be unconscious or heavily incapacitated."

The detective added: "We believe he is one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time."

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC told the court that the videos revealed sexual abuse of at least 11 additional unknown women, and said Xu had recorded "what he was doing as some sort of token".

Xu was a "bold and persistent sexual predator whose offending steadily became more and more serious", the court was told.

A picture Xu took of himself installing hidden camera

One victim told the court: "I don't think I will ever be the same person again.

"I am afraid that I will never be able to forget what that man did to me and how he stole the person I was.

"I fear that I may have introduced Xu to other women who may have suffered the same fate as me. I carry that too.

"I felt out of control and so very alone. I have been told that the drugs he used on me are for animals."

She described how despite being drugged she was still conscious and knew what was happening to her.

An air-freshener in the bathroom in Xu's flat had a hidden camera

"The terrifying thing had been that I couldn't open my eyes and mouth," she said. "Nor could I move my body. I felt everything that he did, pulling my dress off and touching me intimately. I was horrified.

"I could just see through my eyes every now and then that he had his phone out. I just couldn't understand why he was doing that to me.

"He was supposed to be a friend."

'Most appalling'

Xu was apprehended following a social event at his residence in Glashier Street, Greenwich, in May, when he raped a guest who was later found to have the drug GHB and the muscle relaxant scopolamine in her system.

After the woman regained consciousness, she recalled parts of the attack, including Xu filming on his mobile phone. She and another woman reported him and he was arrested on 1 June.

In August, Xu admitted 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, and two counts of operating equipment beneath the clothing of another without consent, between February 2022 and June 2025.

Sentencing the Chinese national, Judge Grout told him: "I have reached the inevitable conclusion that you are an incredibly dangerous man.

"Your behaviour was calculated and planned. You betrayed the trust of a number of women, in the most appalling ways imaginable.

"You are a sexual predator who will gain the trust and confidence of women before raping and sexually assaulting them."

Because Xu is a foreign national, Judge Grout told him he was "liable in principle" to be returned to his "country of origin, which is China".