Black-cab rapist Worboys denied parole for second time
Black-cab rapist Worboys denied parole for second time
Parole board denies Worboys release again, citing ongoing risk to women as the serial rapist remains behind bars.
John Worboys, now known as John Radford, remains in custody after the Parole Board refused his release for the second time. The decision, published on Thursday, was made behind closed doors despite a previous ruling that it would be made in public. The board says he continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences upon women.
Worboys, a former black-cab driver, carried out a string of sexual offences between 2006 and 2008 by luring women into his taxi late at night, offering them a celebratory drink that he had drugged. He was convicted in 2009 of 19 sexual offences linked to attacks on 12 women and given an indefinite sentence for public protection with a minimum term of eight years. In 2019, he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of six years after more victims came forward about crimes he admitted to that took place between 2000 and 2008.
The victims, and others, have long pressed for accountability, and a 2019 report from his prison psychologist referred to him as accepting he preyed on 90 individuals. Carrie Johnson, among those who encountered Worboys, said, 'women and girls across Britain are safer as a result' of the decision to keep him imprisoned. The board emphasised that he remains a high risk of further harm and therefore will not be released under open conditions.
The case continues to raise questions about parole processes and victim safeguards as authorities balance public safety with rehabilitation.
