'Black Cab Rapist' who assaulted 12 female passengers could stay in jail as more victims step forward with allegations
The man known as the "Black Cab rapist", John Worboys, has been questioned again over multiple new sexual assault claims that could scupper his release from jail. Officers from Scotland Yard's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command have already interviewed the infamous sexual predator after multiple women came forward and accused him of sexual assault. The new investigation was launched only months after the Parole Board decided to release him, to much outrage.
The 61-year-old was put in prison in 2009 indefinitely. He had a minimum term of serving eight years for drugging and sexually assaulting 12 of his female passengers.
In January this year, however, the Parole Board decided that Worboys did not pose a threat to society after he had served only 10 years. This happened in spite of authorities being suspicious that he might have assaulted more than 500 women in the years that he spent as a licensed taxi driver in the country.
Following the Parole Board's decision, his victims stepped forward and took legal action to block his release and the decision was then overturned by the High Court, the Daily Mail reported.
Nick Hardwick, the Parole Board chairman, was forced to quit his job in the aftermath and David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, began an overhaul of the current system. Since then, five more women are said to have approached the authorities with fresh allegations against Worboys. An additional two women are said to have asked the authorities to look into their allegations against him again.
It was revealed on August 12 that the authorities are working with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after they received multiple complaints that included sexual assault and use of a substance with the intent to commit a sexual offense.
All of the offenses are said to have taken place between 1997 and 2007. Worboys was questioned in Wakefield prison on July 4.
The new development in the case is said to have raised some hope that his imminent release from prison would be delayed indefinitely as he could be put in prison again if he is charged and convicted of any of the new offenses. So far, no arrest has been made but it is believed that he will be in police custody till the fresh allegations are investigated properly.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "Detectives investigating a number of allegations of non-recent sexual assault have interviewed a 61-year-old man under caution. An investigation was launched in January 2018 after a number of women contacted police with information. Since then, officers have assessed all the information provided and established there are a number of allegations that required investigation. Police also sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. The allegations include sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offense; and are said to have been committed between 1997 and 2007. The man was interviewed at a venue in Yorkshire on Wednesday 4 July. The investigation continues."
Many of the women who had initially come forward with allegations against the sexual predator had been told that their cases were not going to be prosecuted because it was unlikely that he would ever be released from prison. Tony Connell, the CPS prosecutor in the original case, had written to the victims in 2009 and apologized to those women whose allegations had not been taken to trial. The letter had said: "There are dangers in putting too many charges on an indictment as the trial can become too long and complicated."
More than a 100 women had reported the man to the authorities but the CPS had only gone ahead with 14 cases. They did not take him back to court when more victims stepped forward after his trial in 2009 because it had been assumed at that point that he would not be released from prison for the rest of his life. He had been given an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP).
It is believed that the authorities are currently looking back over his case file to see whether there is any unused evidence left over.