A ‘bold and persistent’ Chinese serial rapist described as ‘one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time’ has been jailed for at least 14 years.
Recruitment entrepreneur Chao Xu, 33, preyed on women – who considered him to be ‘a big brother figure’ – by drugging them at networking events held in his swanky south London flat.
He offered them a ‘special cocktail’ he called the ‘spring of life’, which he said combined alcohol and Chinese medicine.
But he then spiked it with powerful sedatives such as GHB and scopolamine, before leading them to his bedroom and raping them while unconscious – sometimes recording the abuse on his mobile phone.
The sex predator also used secret cameras in the bathroom hidden in air fresheners and packs of sanitary products to covertly record intimate images of female colleagues and friends.
The wealthy businessman and Greenwich University graduate was only caught when one victim bravely came forward this summer to claim she had been drugged and raped by Xu.
Police later discovered a stash of videos and images including women sexually assaulted by Xu, as well as hundreds of upskirting files he took at London Bridge station, mostly aged 18 to 30 who were using the escalator.
He was jailed at Woolwich Crown Court today after he admitted more than 20 offences of rape, assault and upskirting against at least seven women – although police believe he may have hundreds of unknowing victims.
Chao Xu, pictured setting up his own hidden camera to spy on women at his home in south London
The wealthy 33-year-old Chinese national was described by police as one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC described Xu as ‘a bold and persistent sexual predator whose offending had steadily become more and more serious’.
She added: ‘He was so emboldened that he was willing to strike anywhere – it appears that no woman was safe around him.’
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Sanderson said: ‘We believe he is one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time.’
Xu was jailed by His Honour Judge Christopher Grout, who described the offending as ‘horrendous’ and said Xu ‘took great enjoyment’ from his criminal behaviour.
He handed Xu a life term, with a minimum term of 14 years in prison before he could be considered for parole, and said: ‘You are an incredibly dangerous man.
‘You betrayed the trust of a number of women who you befriended in the most appalling ways imaginable.’
Xu had been the director of a recruitment and exchange business called UKNest helping fellow Chinese nationals secure work in London, but stood down in July following his arrest.
He was known to host networking events for up to 20 people at the £700,000 flat he owned in Glaisher Street, Greenwich, south London.
The events largely attracted Chinese nationals, both men and women, at which Xu regularly served his Spring of Life concoction.
He concocted his own potion called ‘Spring of Life’ which he gave to guests at his party – spiking the drinks he gave to women he wanted to rape
But on June 1, one of his guests approached police and said she had been spiked and then raped at Xu’s party the previous evening.
Xu had originally offered the woman to stay in his flat to recover from the ill-effects of his potion, then raped her repeatedly.
Officers discovered later that he had administered drugs to her which are known to cause drowsiness and incapacitation.
During the investigation, Xu was also found to have hidden camera devices in bathrooms to film women.
He kept hundreds of intimate images and videos of women on his phone, and even made his own compilations featuring victims of his predatory offending.
Detectives also found further signs of his depravity after discovering he watched so-called ‘rape-porn’.
His offending is largely believed to have begun in the UK in 2021, although detectives believe he may also have struck in his homeland.
Xu had a girlfriend at the time of his arrest, although there is nothing to suggest she knew of his sickening offending, police said.
He secreted hidden cameras in household products such as air fresheners, used to spy on women in his bathroom
He also placed hidden cameras in sanitary products
One victim, who is automatically granted anonymity as a sexual assault complainant, said in a statement to the court: ‘I don’t think I will ever be the same person again. I am afraid I will never be able to forget what that man did to me and how he stole the person I was.
‘Every day is a struggle now. I feel I can never go back to who I was.’
Officers said up to 20 further victims have come forward since Xu pleaded guilty to 24 offences in August, but have urged anyone else who believes they may have been targeted by Xu to contact police.
Xu admitted four rape charges, eight charges of assault by penetration, and four charges of sexual assault and between 21 November 2021 and 1 June 2025.
Xu, who arrived in the UK in 2015 as an only child born and raised in China, also pleaded guilty to four counts of voyeurism and two counts of administering a substance with intent to two women, between April 2023 and June 2025.
He also admitted two further upskirting charges of operating equipment beneath the clothing of another without their consent on 8 December 2022 and 6 September 2023.
He denied one count of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration.
The voyeurism and upskirting offences took place at the businessman’s apartment in Greenwich, at his office in Newington Causeway, Southwark, and at London Bridge tube station.
Another hidden camera was placed in this distinctive speaker
Defence counsel Frida Hussain KC said her client was acting out ‘deviant sexual fantasies’, but was already on a ‘journey’ to rehabilitation.
She said he ‘doesn’t seek to justify’ his offending, and was worry for the harm he has caused.
Detective Sergeant Marc Gadd, from the Met, said the case was ‘one of the most complex and disturbing investigations we have undertaken in recent years’.
He added: ‘This case has revealed a deeply concerning pattern of offending that spanned several years.
‘Xu operated in environments that were meant to be safe, university circles, professional networks and public spaces. He used trust, familiarity and social gatherings to conceal his actions and target vulnerable individuals.
‘We know from the evidence recovered that many women were filmed without their knowledge of consent.
‘We want victims to know if they have concerns, no matter how small or uncertain, to come forward – they will be treated with respect and confidentiality.’
DS Sanderson added: ‘His crimes were calculated, sustained, and devastating, spanning years and leaving unimaginable harm in their wake.
‘Thanks to the relentless efforts of our officers and prosecutors, this cowardly predator has now been handed a sentence.
‘I hope this brings some measure of comfort to the courageous women who came forward and supported this investigation.
‘Without their bravery, Xu’s offending could have continued unchecked.’
But police said there was no link between Xu’s case and that of fellow south London-based Chinese rapist Zhenhao Zou, 28, who was found guilty of 28 offences, including 11 counts of rape involving 10 different women earlier this year.
It will be up to the Home Office to decide at a later date if Xu should be deported.
The 165 days already spent in custody ahead of sentencing will be deducted from the 14-year jail term.
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