Student 'was asked for handbag' after alleged rape

One of the complainants in the case of a student accused of drugging and raping 10 women has told a court she asked him for compensation in the form of a handbag after the night she was allegedly raped.

Zhenhao Zou, a 27-year-old Chinese national who was studying in the UK, denies 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 12 of possession of an extreme pornographic image and one of false imprisonment.

He also denies eight counts of possessing a controlled drug with intent to supply.

The woman told jurors at Inner London Crown Court the compensation was for being made to stay in Mr Zou's flat against her will and not for any sexual activities, which she said she did not agree to.

Text message exchanges between the woman and the defendant, transcribed in both Mandarin and English, were shown to the jury.

Speaking from behind a screen and through an interpreter, the woman agreed that she asked Mr Zou in a text message, "where is my bag?" and the defendant replied: "I had too much to drink and did something wrong, can we discuss this later?"

The woman replied: "Think about what you have done."

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC asked her what Mr Zou, a PhD student, was compensating her for.

Through the interpreter, she replied that he had forced her to stay at his place that night and to drink a great amount of alcohol.

She said: "My emotion wasn't stable and he forced me, wouldn't let me go.

"Under an extreme loss of emotional control the agreement was that 'either you let me go or give me money to stay', but I didn't allow any sexual activities."

The court also heard that she texted Mr Zou, from Elephant and Castle in south London, telling him she would expose him for what he had done to her, and told him she had contacted the police.

She added he should feel guilty for what he had done to her, the jury was told.

The woman later posted a warning about Mr Zou on Chinese social media channels WeChat and Little Red Book, the court heard, to get support from other people and to alert others about him.

Mark Cotter KC, defending Mr Zou, asked the woman if she remembered "suggesting that he give you money in return for sex", and she replied "it was impossible", adding she never agreed to have sex with him.

He asked if there was a time she became more sober and agreed to have sex with the defendant, and she replied: "From the beginning until the end I never agreed to have sex with him."

Mr Cotter also asked if she remembered the defendant asking if he could take photographs, and the woman said: "According to my memory he never asked me and plus, even if I'm drunk or I'm not drunk, I would never agree to this kind of request."

He suggested to the woman that she had been free to leave the flat at all times, to which she said "no, absolutely disagree".

The trial continues.

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