The black-cab rapist John Worboys has been denied parole for the second time. The Parole Board informed his victims on Thursday that it had decided against releasing him or allowing him to move to open prison conditions.
Parole Decision Details
Open conditions in prison mean offenders are held under minimal security and can work in the community. Worboys, 68, was convicted in 2009 for assaulting victims after drugging them with spiked drinks. He was found guilty of sex offences against 16 women, but police believe he may have had more than 100 victims.
The Guardian understands there is no fixed date for his next parole hearing, but the board estimates it could be in one to two years. The date depends on a Ministry of Justice decision and the offender's completion of work required for parole eligibility.
Victim Reactions
One victim, known as Sarah, who remained anonymous during the campaign to keep him behind bars, told the Guardian: “Thank goodness the right decision has been made and the Parole Board have recognised what a danger he is. We can all sleep lighter knowing he is still behind bars.”
Worboys would coax victims into taking drug-laced drinks after they entered his cab, claiming to have won the lottery or from horse betting, showing a bag of cash and offering champagne.
Carrie Johnson's Testimony
Carrie Johnson, wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, testified against Worboys after taking a drink she believed was spiked. She has campaigned against his release. Johnson said: “It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that Worboys was up for parole again. The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words. Women and girls across Britain are safer as a result of this decision.”
She previously campaigned to keep him in prison in 2018 after the Parole Board decided he could be freed after serving nearly 10 years. That decision was reversed after a legal challenge by his victims.
Legal History
Following the challenge, the Parole Board ruled he should remain jailed due to his “sense of sexual entitlement” among other reasons. A probation report in August 2019 found he was “potentially just as dangerous now as at the point of the first sentence”.
Four more victims came forward in 2019, and Worboys received two life sentences with a minimum term of six years.
This development coincides with the release of a new ITV drama Believe Me, which focuses on Sarah's story and how victims were failed by the Metropolitan Police.
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the police owed human rights damages to two of Worboys's victims after they reported assaults in 2003 and 2007, but officers failed to arrest or charge him. The court cited significant errors, allowing Worboys to assault up to 100 more women.
The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
