Worboys’ release challenge ‘relief’

Harm, called for a national strategy to deal with the issue.

She told the BBC: “Treatment for alcohol dependency works. Around 60% of those who are treated are treated successfully.” AN EQUAL pay case is being taken against supermarket giant Tesco which lawyers estimate could lead to a bill of £4 billion.

Law firm Leigh Day will take the first stage of the claim to the conciliation service Acas this week on behalf of 100 women, claiming they are paid less than men for work of equal value.

The lawyers said the case could eventually involve 200,000 women, making it the largest equal pay challenge in the UK. THE mother of murdered toddler James Bulger accused authorities of covering up the extent of his killer’s “vile” behaviour as he was locked up once again.

Jon Venables has been living anonymously since his release from a life sentence for the kidnap, torture and murder of two-year-old James 25 years ago. But in November last year he was caught with a stash of indecent pictures of children on his computer for a second time.

During a hearing at the Old Bailey, he pleaded guilty to downloading 1,170 images from the dark web over the course of several months as well as having a “sickening” paedophile manual.

Mr Justice Edis jailed him for VICTIMS of black cab rapist John Worboys have welcomed a ruling giving them the go-ahead to challenge what they describe as the “irrational” decision to release him from jail.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was also allowed to proceed with judicial review action against the Parole Board, said the decision by two High Court judges yesterday was a “relief ”.

He commented: “The victims of John Worboys, and all Londoners, will be relieved at this ruling.

“I’m pleased that there will now be an opportunity for thorough scrutiny of this decision by the Parole Board.”

As 60-year-old Worboys listened from the dock of the London courtroom, Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Garnham ruled that the challenge to the lawfulness of the board’s decision should be considered at a full hearing, starting on March 13.

The judges also ordered that a temporary bar on Worboys’ release, imposed by the High Court last month, should continue pending that hearing.

Solicitor Harriet Wistrich, who is representing the victims, said after the three years and four months yesterday, but said the Parole Board will decide when he should be released back into the community.

Afterwards, a spokesman for James’s mother, Denise Fergus, called for an inquiry and accused authorities of “colluding” to cover up Venables’ pattern of vile behaviour. hearing: “We are obviously very pleased that permission has been granted to proceed. We are looking forward to being able to understand and scrutinise all the material before the Parole Board, to consider how to bring forward a challenge.”

She said one of the victims, who was in court throughout the hearing, found it “very, very difficult” that Worboys was brought there from prison.

She added: “She felt it was really necessary to be there and to say she wasn’t going to be frightened of him being there, and to challenge his power.

“But obviously it is hard seeing him there in the flesh after all this time.”

Ms Wistrich also said it was a “huge relief ” for the victims that the court ordered Worboys should remain in prison pending the outcome of the full hearing.

Lawyers representing the Parole Board and the Justice Secretary said during the hearing that they were not opposed to a full judicial review going ahead.

Worboys was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a minimum term of eight years, for drugging and sexually assaulting women passengers.

He became known as the black cab rapist after attacking victims in his hackney carriage.

Sir Brian said it should be a matter of “priority” for “appropriate legal aid” to be granted to Worboys, who now goes by the name of John Radford, “in order that he can participate in these proceedings”.

He said: “It is our view that it is of critical importance that emergency legal aid be granted to Mr Radford so he can be assisted at the hearing.”