John Worboys: Black cab rapist's victims 'living in fear' over release amid calls for new prosecutions

Lawyers preparing to make official request for sex attacks that did not reach court to be prosecuted

John Worboys was found guilty in 2009 of raping 12 women – but police say he could have attacked at least 100 (PA)

Victims of John Worboys are “living in fear” as they await his imminent release from prison without knowing where he will live or what controls he will be put under, lawyers have said.

Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer who is representing 11 of his victims, told The Independent many were losing faith that the criminal justice system could protect them.

“Worboys had the addresses of a lot of these women because he dropped them off at their homes, and we know from the criminal file that he kept a notebook with the details,” he added.

“None of these women have been told anything about what the licence conditions are and a lot of them are very concerned for their safety.

“We don’t know where he will be living - could they go into the supermarket and bump into him?”

MPs and members of the House of Lords demanded to know why the Parole Board decided to free the serial sex attacker, who became known as the “black cab rapist”, after serving just nine years of an indeterminate sentence that was supposed to ensure public protection.

The Government has announced a review of the Parole Board’s transparency and processes after some victims said they first learnt of Worboys’ impending release through news reports.

Justice Secretary David Gauke addressing MPs in the House of Commons, (PA)

Officials have so far refused calls to make public the reasons for the decision or what measures have been put in place to protect his victims and the public at large.

Lawyers are preparing to formally ask police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to reopen investigations into allegations against Worboys that did not reach court.

David Gauke, the new Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, said only the CPS could decide to bring further charges but it was a priority “that rape and other sexual offences are pursued”.

“This is a particularly high-profile case but I’m not going to pretend that it is unique,” he added.

Worboys was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 victims and raping one woman in 2009 but police believe the real number of victims was over 100.

At least 19 allegations that emerged following Worboys’ conviction in 2009 were not prosecuted after consultation between the CPS and Metropolitan Police, and there are no cases currently live.

Mr Gauke told the House of Commons the Parole Board’s assessment “made on the basis of several hundred pages of information” that could not be disclosed under current rules.

“I would expect that in this case the conditions are stringent and rigorously enforced,” he added, while fending off criticism from all parties.

Mr Gauke said he took concerns very seriously but that the “correct procedures were followed”, while confirming a review was underway into the Parole Board’s rules.

Yvette Cooper was among the MPs raisin concern over the treatment of Worboys' victims (Getty)

“The Parole Board should remain an independent body… but there is a strong case to review the case for transparency in the process for parole decisions and how victims are appropriately engaged in that process and consider the case for changes,” he added.

“It is a priority for this Government that victims of rape and sexual assault have full confidence in the criminal justice system.”

The Victims’ Commissioner will be consulted on the matter and the Justice Select Committee is to hold its own hearing.

Richard Burgon, the Shadow Justice Secretary, said the Worboys case had been “dogged by failures from the outset".

“Such failings risk undermining public trust in our wider justice system,” he added. “Many women – both the victims and others more widely – will be very anxious about Mr Worboys being freed.”

The Labour MP called for an “end-to-end” independent review to be carried out into the case, dating back to when allegations against Worboys emerged in the early 2000s.

“The public is asking questions about the failings in the police’s handling of the case; about why there were no further prosecutions; and about failures of the Victim Contact Scheme to properly notify victims of the parole hearing,” Mr Burgon said, raising additional concern about the partial privatisation of the probation service and the Government’s previous support of legal action against Worboys’ victims.

Two women who were assaulted won more than £40,000 compensation from after courts found the Metropolitan Police had breached the Human Rights Act by failing to properly investigate many of the crimes Worboys was linked to.

But Scotland Yard appealed the ruling, which is currently being considered by the Supreme Court, with the backing of the Home Office under Theresa May’s leadership.

Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith said Worboys had never shown remorse for his actions, dismissing his crimes as “banter”, telling the Commons: “It is impossible for people to understand how the Board could possibly have deemed this man to be safe…until it publicly explains the rationale behind the decision, people can’t possibly have confidence in our criminal justice system.”

Joanna Cherry, of the Scottish National Party, called for assurance that “these serious police failings will never happen again”, and Labour MP Helen Goodman cited one case in her constituency where a rape victim who was not informed of her attacker’s release bumped into him in her local pub.

Labour's Yvette Cooper said some of Worboys’ victims had “still heard nothing” and do not know what the Parole Board terms are, while the Tory former minister Anna Soubry called for the Parole Board to ensure he is “not allowed back into Greater London”.

Several Conservative MPs argued that the prison sentences for sexual offences as a whole were too lenient and should be increased.

Lord Blair of Boughton, the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, told the House of Lords rape investigations were “a mess” nationwide following the suspension of London cases over disclosure scandals.

“It seems to me that the Worboys case is a perfect example from which we could take learning in a wider sense about how can we both support victims and provide the accused with proper defence,” the independent peer said.

"At the moment I think the investigation of rape and serious sexual offences is in a mess."

The Victims' Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, argued the system for keeping victims informed needed to be "radically reformed".

Additional reporting by PA