Met Police
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”.
One of the women he targeted told the court that she would “never be able to forget” what Xu did to her. Police are appealing for any more of his victims to come forward.
‘Out of control’
Detectives believe Xu, 33, hosted networking events at his flat in south-east London where he spiked drinks and raped some of the women who attended.
They found videos on his devices in which he had recorded himself raping women who seemed incapacitated or unconscious.
He set up secret cameras in an air-freshener and in a speaker to film people showering, using the toilet and getting changed.
Police found that he had made “compilations” from his voyeuristic activities, editing together recordings of him raping women who were incapacitated.
“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 officer added: “We believe he is one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time.
“He was known to host networking events at his residence, which were presented as professional gatherings, but as we now know, they were used to facilitate criminal behaviour.”
Met Police
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 conscious enough to know what was happening to her.
Met Police
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 told the court.
“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.”
Following a social event at Xu’s residence in Glashier Street, Greenwich, in May, he raped a guest who was later found to have very strong sedative drugs in her system.
After she regained consciousness, the victim recalled parts of the attack, including Xu filming on his mobile device. She and other victim reported him and he was arrested on 1 June.
Another victim recalled: “When the suspect was first arrested I felt an overwhelming sense of fear. I was terrified that he might seek revenge on me.
“My emotions have been very mixed, raging from fear and anxiety to periods of emptiness.”