Errors by officers mean many victims will never see justice

THE John Worboys investigation has been marred with controversy for more than a decade, with allegations that police missed opportunities to stop him from attacking women in the years before he was finally caught.

Since his 2009 conviction, concerns have been raised about how officers treated women who came forward after being abused by him and about whether there could be many more victims whose voices are yet to be heard.

The first reports against Worboys were made in 2002 but no connection was made between them and later claims until six years later.

An independent investigation was ordered when it emerged that Worboys had been arrested in 2007 after being seen on CCTV carrying a teenager out of his cab.

Instead of surprising him, officers left a note that alerted Worboys to his potential arrest and allowed him time to destroy vital evidence, according to reports at the time. He was later taken to a police station but released after claiming his victim had kissed him.

He went on to commit more attacks and was arrested again in Feb 2008 after a police appeal revealed a pattern of sexual violence across London. Despite a pre-sentencing report stating that Worboys was a repeat sexual predator, he was sentenced to a minimum eightyear term while a number of other crimes against him, perhaps as many as 100, were not taken forward by the CPS.