‘Calculated’ hidden camera predator admits 24 attacks on women including rape

A 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.

- By AMY-CLARE MARTIN CRIME CORRESPONDENT

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 postgraduate 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.