A calculated serial predator who drugged women and recorded his attacks on cameras hidden in an air freshener in his home has been convicted of 24 offences against women.
Chinese national Chao Xu, 33, admitted to four counts of rape, eight of assault by penetration and four counts of sexual assault against six women, including three victims who have not yet been identified.
The former University of Greenwich post-graduate student, who until recently ran a recruitment business, also admitted to two counts of administering a substance to incapacitate his victims and four counts of voyeurism against six more women who have also not yet been identified.
Appearing wearing a black jacket and grey top in the dock at Woolwich Crown Court, he also pleaded guilty to two counts of upskirting, including one incident at London Bridge station in September 2023.
The Metropolitan Police are now appealing for more survivors to come forward after officers found hundreds of intimate images and videos of women on his phone.
Xu, who has lived in the UK since around 2013, was first reported after a woman became unwell at a networking event held at his home in Greenwich earlier this year.
He offered for the woman to stay in his flat to recover, where he proceeded to rape her multiple times. Police later discovered he administered drugs to make her drowsy.
During the investigation, Xu was also found to have hidden camera devices in multiple locations, including inside an air freshener and in his bathroom.
Detectives are still trawling through thousands of images on Xuâs devices.
Detective Chief Inspector Lewis Sanderson, who is leading the investigation, said: âXu is a calculated prolific sex offender, who has preyed on unsuspecting women using cowardly methods – administering drugs to rape, sexually assault and take intimate images without consent.
âOur investigation is ongoing and we continue examine the large amount of evidence we have collected, which will help identify any further potential victim-survivors.
âWeâre also asking anyone who has any information about Xu or believes they may have been a victim, to come forward â you will be listened to. I want to reassure anyone impacted that you are not alone and can seek specialist support and guidance, not only from the police, but also from independent charities and services.â
Suzanne Crane, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said evidence against Xu included âdisturbingâ images and videos, hidden cameras and drugs commonly used in spiking found in his home.
She added: âChao Xu deliberately drugged women to render them unconscious and vulnerable, enabling him to rape and sexually assault them without their knowledge.
âXu is a serious danger to women, and the scale of his offending is such that without the brave testimony of victims, who came forward after realising what had happened to them, may well have continued undetected.â
Xu admitted to a total of 24 offences spanning a two and half year period between February 2022 and June 2025.
He denied one count of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration but the Crown will not be pursuing a trial on those charges and will ask for them to lie on the file.
The judge, Recorder Simon Stirling, told him: âYou have pleaded guilty to a large number of offences for which the inevitable outcome is a lengthy custodial sentence.â
He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on 14 October at Woolwich Crown Court.
If you wish to speak to Met detectives or make a report relating to Xu, you can also contact police via email on operation.kafka@met.police.uk or on 02071753802.
You can also make a report to police by calling 101 from within the UK, quoting reference 01/7563135/25.
