The Parole Board has denied John Worboys, the black-cab rapist, parole for the second time. The decision was made after considering his case, and the board has decided against either releasing him or allowing him to move to open conditions within prison.
Worboys, 68, was convicted in 2009 of assaulting his victims after drugging them with spiked drinks. He was found guilty of sex offences against 16 women, but police say he could have had more than 100 victims.
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The Parole Board’s decision was welcomed by Worboys’ victims, including a woman known as Sarah, who told the Guardian: “Thank goodness the right decision has been made and the Parole Board have recognised what a danger he is.”
He coaxed his victims into taking drug-laced drinks from him after they got into his cab for a ride home. He would claim to have won the lottery or from betting on horses, showing them a bag of cash and offering them champagne.
Carrie Johnson, the wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, testified against him after taking a drink from him that she believed was spiked. She has been campaigning against his release from prison, and said: “It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that he was up for parole again.”
The decision to deny him parole is not the first time his release has been blocked. In 2018, the Parole Board decided he could be freed from prison after serving nearly 10 years, but the decision was reversed after a legal challenge by his victims.
A subsequent probation report in August 2019 found him to be “potentially just as dangerous now as the point of the first sentence”. Four more victims came forward in 2019, and he was handed two life sentences, with a minimum term of six years.
The case has raised concerns about the handling of his case by the Metropolitan police. In 2018, the supreme court ruled that the police owed human rights damages to two of his victims after they reported being assaulted in 2003 and 2007, and he was failed to be arrested or charged.
The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment on the Parole Board’s decision. They understand there is not a fixed date for his next parole hearing, but that the board thinks it could be in about one to two years.
The decision to deny him parole comes as a new ITV drama, Believe Me, focuses on Sarah’s story and how the victims were failed by the Metropolitan police. The drama highlights the need for greater support for victims of sexual assault and the importance of holding perpetrators to account.
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