Black cab rapist John Worboys who drugged and attacked more than 100 women set for release from jail

Jun 09, 2023

Worboys, who was jailed indefinitely in 2009, was found guilty of assaulting 12 women but police believe he carried out more than 100 rapes and sexual assaults

London cabbie rapist John Worboys is to be released from prison later this month.

Between 2002 and 2008, Worboys carried out more than 100 rapes and sexual assaults using rape kits made up of alcohol and drugs to stupefy his victims.

Worboys, 56, of Rotherhithe, South London, was jailed indefiniitely in March 2009 but ordered to serve at least eight years.

Jailing him, Judge Mr Justice Penry-Davey had told Worboys: "You will only be released when it considers you are no longer a danger to women."

In a statement today, the Parole Board said: "We can confirm that a three member panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Mr John Worboys, following an oral hearing.

"The arrangements for Mr Worboys' release will be managed by the Ministry of Justice."

But Yvonne Traynor, CEO of Rape Crisis South London, today described the time Worboys spent in prison as "woefully short".

She said: "It feels far too soon for this dangerous and manipulative perpetrator to be released into the public having served this woefully short time in prison.

"He may be free to live amongst us but the women he raped will never be totally free from his despicable actions."

The chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee slammed the decision to release Worboys as "shocking".

Yvette Cooper, a Labour MP, said: "There are many serious questions why this dangerous man has been given parole after serving such a short sentence for his attacks against women.

"Given the seriousness of this case, the Parole Board should publish their reasons immediately so both the decision and the process can be scrutinised before this man is released. We also need to know what information and support was given to all the victims before this decision was taken."

Former stripper Worboys was found guilty of assaulting 12 women but police later said more came forward after he was jailed, and that his alleged victims now numbered more than 100.

The attacks are believed to have been carried out over a period of about five years, between 2002 and 2007.

At the time, he was branded the UK's most prolific sex offender while psychiatrists said he displayed "significant sexual deviance".

Not all the women reported that he had raped them, but all accused him of sexually motivated offences.

Many of his victims were young women who had been drinking in trendy night spots in the West End and Chelsea.

The cabbie cruised the streets late at night looking for women who had already been drinking to offer heavily discounted or even free lifts home.

He often told victims he lived in the same direction and was concerned they would be approached by illegal minicab drivers.

Once in the cab, Worboys spun them a story of how he had won money on the lottery or at a casino and showed them a carrier bag stuffed full of cash.

He offered them a glass of champagne or other alcoholic drink to help him celebrate as he said it was his last fare of the night.

But the drinks were mixed with powerful sedatives that left his victims stupefied and powerless to stop him sexually assaulting them.

As the women succumbed to the drugs, Worboys would drive around in circles as he turned the conversation to sex, in some cases offering the women as much as £5,000 to perform sex acts.

The court heard many women were left with little memory of their ordeals and can only recall falling asleep in the back of the vehicle before waking up at home.

Some were left with flashbacks and vague memories of Worboys sitting beside them and adjusting their clothing.

One woman remembered being raped, a second woke up to find him with his hand up her skirt and a third said he exposed himself.

The cab driver kept a stash of miniature champagne bottles, as well as other drinks including wine, vodka, gin and whisky, in the passenger footwell.

He admitted lying to the women and offering them drinks but claimed he did it because he craved female attention in the wake of a series of failed relationships.

But police discovered a "rape kit", including gloves, alcohol, glasses, drugs, condoms and a sex toy concealed in a plastic bag in another vehicle at his home.

Detectives also found many journeys took considerably longer than necessary while women were left violently ill and some had traces of drugs in their blood.

The jury was told Worboys used plastic gloves and disposable cups to reduce the chances of leaving forensic traces on his victims.

One woman claimed he said: "You can't go and say that you have been raped because I always use a Durex."

Nevertheless, police were able to find his DNA on the bodies and clothes of two women.

His DNA and that of an alleged victim were also found on a vibrator, while traces of condom lubricant were found on another woman's underwear.

In 2014, two women who were sexually assaulted by Worboys won a bid to get compensation from the Metropolitan Police.

One victim, identified only as DSD, was the first to make a complaint to the Met in 2003, while the other, NBV, contacted them after she was attacked in July 2007.

Another victim previously complained to City of London police in 2002.

Mr Justice Green at London's High Court ruled that the Met was liable to the women for failures in its investigation and damages would be assessed.

DSD and NBV brought their test cases on behalf of other victims under Article 3 of the Human Rights Act - which relates to inhuman or degrading treatment.

Mr Justice Green said: "I have identified a series of systemic failings which went to the heart of the failure of the police to apprehend Worboys and cut short his five to six-year spree of violent attacks."

These included a failure to train relevant officers in the intricacies of sexual assaults, especially ones involving drugs and alcohol.

There were also failures to ensure investigators followed procedure, cross-checked complaints and maintained the confidence of victims in the investigation.

There were also serious errors in the cases of DSD and NBV, including failures to interview vital witnesses, collect key evidence, follow up on CCTV footage and prepare properly for interviews with the suspect.

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