MAKE TAXI RAPIST FACE NEW TRIAL
Call for cops to reopen dozens of cases as ministers can’t block his release
POLICE are being urged to reinvestigate rapist John Worboys for dozens of alleged sex crimes.
The plea from victims came after ministers said they could not block the cabbie’s early release from prison.
One victim said: “I hope police look at the cases. He’s a risk to the public.”
Everything should be done to stop Worboys’ imminent release HARRIET WISTRICH LAWYER FOR VICTIMS
THE reasons for black cab rapist John Worboys’ imminent release from prison were still shrouded in mystery yesterday as ministers refused to challenge the decision to grant him parole.
Outraged MPs called on Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to order a fresh probe into allegations against the sex predator that were never pursued.
And lawyers for Worboys’ victims vowed to go ahead with their own court challenge, describing the attacker as a “manipulative, calculating and dangerous man”.
The outcry came after Justice Secretary David Gauke refused to launch a judicial review into the Parole Board’s controversial decision to free Worboys.
Mr Gauke told MPs: “I have made clear I will not bring a legal challenge to the Parole Board’s decision unless there is a reasonable prospect of success. “Having taken on and considered expert legal advice, I have decided it would not be appropriate for me, as Secretary of State, to proceed.” Worboys, of Rotherhithe, South East London, was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a minimum term of eight years, for 19 offences against 12 women passengers. The 60-year-old was linked to more than 100 attacks. Tory MP Bob Neill urged Ms Dick to look at cases which did not lead to charges. The Justice Select Committee chairman told the Mirror: “I hope the police should be looking at all cases that weren’t pursued and review the evidence – the police and the CPS will have to do that – to see if there’s admissible evidence that would support a prosecution. “If that’s the case, there’s no reason why further charges shouldn’t be brought. What probably happened in the past may have been they thought there were enough charges and he was likely to be inside for a long time.”
It is not clear why officials were convinced it is safe to release Worboys and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the decision was “astonishing”.
He added: “At the very least victims and Londoners need the Parole Board’s decision to be properly scrutinised by the courts.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon added: “The Worboys case raises so many serious questions that anything less than an independent review into the handling of the case— from the first report to the police of an attack right through to the Parole Board hearing—would let down the victims and the wider public.”
Lawyers for victims confirmed they plan to move ahead with their own challenge next week. One victim said of his release: “It’s disgusting, I’m so upset. I hope the police will go back and look at the cases he wasn’t convicted of.
“I’m sure they will. He’s a danger and a risk to the public.”
Harriet Wistrich, of law firm Birnberg Peirce, is representing two of Worboys’ victims in a crowd-funded bid for a judicial review.
She said: “The women bringing the claim are doing so as they are convinced Worboys remains a danger to women and everything should be done to stop his imminent release.”
Richard Scorer, of Slater and Gordon, which represented 11 of Worboys’ victims, added: “It is crucial the decision to release this manipulative, calculating and dangerous man can be considered by courts as soon as possible.
“It is also imperative that the failure to prosecute more cases against Worboys is re-examined.”