Chinese national branded ‘one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time’ by police jailed

Xu, of Greenwich, south-east London, pleaded guilty to 24 sexual offences committed over the course of three years.

The Metropolitan Police said Xu had filmed himself “raping and sexually assaulting women who appear to be unconscious or heavily incapacitated”.

Officers said three victims of sexual assaults such as rape had been identified and police were looking for another four unidentified victims.

Detectives think the number of victims of voyeurism and upskirting could be in the hundreds.

Among the victims are individuals who were filmed without consent in Xu’s flat, at his WeWork workplace and in public spaces including London Bridge underground station.

Xu, who has lived in the UK since 2016 and is a graduate of the University of Greenwich, placed hidden cameras in an air freshener, women’s sanitary products, a digital clock, a speaker and under a wash basin.

Police were first made aware of Xu’s offending after a woman reported to officers that her drink had been spiked and she had subsequently been sexually assaulted at a university networking event in June at his address in Glashier Street, Deptford.

The 33-year-old was granted a UK work visa in November 2023.

He would hand guests a drink he called “the spring of life” at his networking events which contained various alcoholic substances and Chinese herbal medicines.

Detective Sergeant Marc Gadd said: “During that first evening that the victim reported sexual offending, we believe he mixed some of the spring of life with other stupefying agents to render his intended victim vulnerable and unconscious.”

Xu worked as a director of a recruitment business which helped recent Chinese graduates secure employment in London.

He would regularly host networking events for University of Greenwich and King’s College London students at his home address.

Officers found hidden cameras throughout the property as well as digital storage devices during a search.

His phone contained hundreds of intimate images and videos of women, believed to have been obtained without consent.

Acting Detective Superintendent Lewis Sanderson said: “Upon forensic examination of Xu’s phone, officers uncovered deeply disturbing material.

“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.”

In August, Xu 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 between February 2022 and June 2025.

Ms Farrelly told the court that Xu was a “bold and persistent sexual predator whose offending steadily became more and more serious.”

The prosecutor added: “He was so emboldened that he was willing to strike anywhere: at his own home address, at his place of work, and in train stations.”

His Honour Judge Christopher Grout said Xu was an “incredibly dangerous man” who “took great enjoyment” from his offending.

The judge told Xu: “Your behaviour was calculated and planned, evidenced by the covert recording systems you had set up in your flats and the fact you had incapacitated a number of your victims by drugging them.

“You betrayed the trust of a number of women who you befriended in the most appalling ways imaginable.”