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There could be 1,000 or more victims of black-cab rapist John Worboys, says Carrie Johnson
TL;DR
Carrie Johnson estimates there could be up to 1,000 victims of black-cab rapist John Worboys. She revealed that more women have come forward, believing they were assaulted by him.
Key points
- Carrie Johnson estimates up to 1,000 victims of John Worboys
- Worboys drugged women in his taxi with spiked drinks
- He is serving a life sentence for his crimes
- Worboys was denied parole due to high risk of reoffending
- Johnson has been contacted by more women claiming to be victims
Mentioned in this story
Carrie JohnsonJohn WorboysParole Board
Carrie Johnson, the wife of the former prime minister Boris Johnson, has said there could be “up to 1,000, if not more”, victims of the black-cab rapist, John Worboys.
Johnson, who helped bring the serial sex attacker to justice, said she had been contacted by more women who believed they had been assaulted by him.
Worboys is serving a life sentence after drugging women in his taxi by offering them spiked drinks after pretending he had won money. Last week the Parole Board said he “continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences against women”.
Johnson, one of several women who spoke out to keep Worboys behind bars, said news that he had been refused parole came as a “huge relief” to many survivors.
She told Good Morning Britain: “The truth is that his crimes span from, what we know, from 2000 up to when he was convicted in 2009. And he was a cab driver for that duration, out potentially every night in his cab, so there could be up to 1,000, if not more than that.”
She said more people had come forward saying they believed they had been in his cab after watching an ITV dramatisation of the case. This “might really help keep him behind bars for good”, she added.
“I think there’ll be women who, like me, were drugged, who might not realise they were drugged, who just thought: ‘God, maybe that last drink didn’t sit well with me.’ Or now maybe they’ve seen what’s happened and they think: ‘Oh well, it’s done.’ I would urge them to come forward if they can,” she said.
Worboys was first convicted in 2009 of 19 sexual offences linked to attacks on 12 women between October 2006 and February 2008. He was 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, which took place between 2000 and 2008.
Carrie Johnson encountered Worboys in 2007 when she was a 19-year-old student waiting for a bus home. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
Q&A
How many victims of John Worboys are estimated by Carrie Johnson?
Carrie Johnson estimates that there could be up to 1,000 victims of John Worboys.
What crimes did John Worboys commit?
John Worboys drugged women in his taxi by offering them spiked drinks and assaulted them.
What was the outcome of John Worboys' parole hearing?
John Worboys was denied parole and continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences.
Who is Carrie Johnson and what is her connection to John Worboys?
Carrie Johnson is the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and helped bring John Worboys to justice.
