Chao Xu admits raping and drugging woman and assaulting five others

“A prolific, calculated sex offender” has admitted drugging and raping a woman four times, as well as sexual offences against five other women.

Chao Xu, 33, was initially charged with raping a woman after a gathering at his home in Greenwich, south-east London, and was later accused of more offences against other women.

Appearing at Woolwich Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to 24 sexual offences, including sexual assault, voyeurism and upskirting. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 14 November.

Detectives believe the Chinese national’s offending was even more widespread and have urged other victims to come forward.

During a networking event at his home in June, Xu asked a female guest if she would like to stay and recover, having become unwell. He then drugged and raped her several times, the Met Police said.

Police found Xu had hidden camera devices in multiple locations, including inside an air freshener and in bathrooms.

They also found hundreds of intimate images and videos of unidentified women on his phone believed to have been obtained without consent.

Detectives now believe Xu has committed many more offences over a number of years.

Det Ch Insp Lewis Sanderson, who led the investigation, said: “Xu 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.

“Our investigation is ongoing and we continue to examine a large amount of evidence, which will help identify any further potential victims.”

Xu, who has lived in the UK since 2013, 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 – a crime known as upskirting – between February 2022 and June 2025.

The court heard that in relation to the charges related to upskirting, the defendant used cameras at a workplace and at London Bridge Underground Station.

He pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration, but the Crown said it would not pursue a trial on those charges and would ask for them to lie on file.

The judge, Recorder Simon Stirling, told Xu: “You have pleaded guilty to a large number of offences for which the inevitable outcome is a lengthy custodial sentence.”

Suzanne Crane, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Xu had “deliberately drugged women to render them unconscious and vulnerable, enabling him to rape and sexually assault them without their knowledge”.

She added: “Xu is a serious danger to women, and without the bravery of victims who came forward, his offending may well have continued undetected.”