UK parole boss apologises over failure to tell victims of cabbie rapist John Worboys’ imminent release
The chairman of the UK Parole Board has apologised "unreservedly" over the failure to inform the victims of serial rapist John Worboys of his imminent release.
Professor Nick Hardwick said he fully accepts there was a problem with the parole system, and that it was believed the victims had been informed before the decision was issued.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he said he is still trying to establish precisely what happened and does not want to "blame anybody yet".
He said it was not the Parole Board’s responsibility to inform victims, and added: "Whoever’s fault it was, I fully accept this was a problem with (the) parole system.
"I’m chair of the Parole Board, this would have been absolutely horrible for those two women concerned, and I apologise for it unreservedly."
London cabbie Worboys, a former stripper and adult film star, was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a minimum term of eight years, for drugging and sexually assaulting women passengers.
"We were informed that the victims had been told" - Chair of Parole Board Nick Hardwick issues apology after some victims of sex attacker John Worboys were not told about his release https://t.co/EOiP2vVxzM pic.twitter.com/kweHtVBcXA
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 5, 2018
In a statement, Prof Hardwick said he has "recently set out options for change" and that the Parole Board has a "statutory duty" under its rules which "prevents disclosure of proceedings".
"We will shortly be launching a public consultation about how we share our decision-making with the public," he added.
"I am very concerned some victims were not told about the decision; this must have been very distressing.
"There are robust arrangements in place for victims to be informed through the Victim Contact Scheme. We were told that had been done as usual in this case and released the decision on that basis."
Lawyer Harriet Wistrich said two victims had not been informed of Worboys’ imminent release or of his Parole Board hearing.
She said that they are both "shocked and horrified by this news", and said on Channel 4 News that the first they learned of the planned release was while "listening on the radio, cooking tea for the kids".
It is understood that all those who were signed up to the UK’s Victim Contact Scheme were informed as soon as the Parole Board decision was made.
Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the UK Home Affairs Select Committee, has called for the Parole Board to immediately publish its reasons for allowing the release of Worboys.
She said was "really shocked" by the move and called for scrutiny of the Parole Board’s reasoning before the prolific sex attacker is let out of jail.
Worboys, who became known as the "black cab rapist", was found guilty of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women passengers, in one case raping a woman.
But police said in 2010 that his alleged victims numbered 102 after more people came forward following his trial and conviction.
The allegations were investigated but no further action was taken on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), police said.
Latest on #Worboys: in October 2010 CPS said in a statement "We have seen no new material since the trial and we actually considered somewhere between 35 and 40 case files at the time." So, far from clear that Met Police ever asked CPS to make further charging decisions
— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) January 5, 2018
The director of public prosecutions at the time of Worboys’ conviction, Labour’s Keir Starmer, has since urged any alleged victims with concerns about how their case was handled to contact the police.
Speaking outside his home in north London, the shadow Brexit secretary said: "First and foremost, it’s very important that if there are any allegations that anybody thinks have not been looked into, sufficiently or at all, they go to the police and make those allegations so they can be looked into.
"The second important thing is that it’s really important that what’s said is factually accurate. As you know, the Crown Prosecution Service holds the file on this case, they made the decisions in the case, and it is really important you go to them to get an accurate read-out of the decisions that have been made."
Asked whether he thought the right decision was made by prosecutors not to pursue further allegations against the serial sex attacker, Mr Keir said: "I think these decisions were nine years ago and it’s very important you go to the Crown Prosecution Service and get an accurate read-out of the decisions that were made, particularly if further allegations have been made now."
He refused to answer further questions about why past cases were not brought to trial.
It is feared Worboys may have more than 100 victims and the Parole Board’s decision sparked an outcry from charities and support groups when it was made public yesterday.
Charity campaigners have called the time served by the 60-year-old "woefully short" and said his release "beggars belief".
Meanwhile, Worboys’ ex-wife, Jean Clayton, told the Sun he should "never be let out".
Ms Cooper said Worboys’ crimes were "the most appalling and vile" and there were "serious questions" over the Parole Board’s decision.
"Given the seriousness of this case, the Parole Board should publish their reasons immediately so both the decision and the process can be scrutinised before this man is released.
"We also need to know what information and support was given to all the victims before this decision was taken."
Really shocked by this. His were the most appalling & vile crimes. Very serious questions about this decision https://t.co/0qdmqrxoUP
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) January 4, 2018
Her intervention raises the prospect that senior members of the Parole Board could be hauled before MPs for a grilling over the decision.
Specialist abuse lawyer Richard Scorer from Slater Gordon said the firm represented 11 of Worboys’ victims and claimed they were devastated.
"Our clients have been left devastated by the shocking news that a man who mercilessly raped scores of women, denied his heinous crimes and then forced them to endure the torment of a criminal trial is to be released," he said.
"For victims not be told that he is to be freed by the Parole Board adds insult to injury.
"When we visited Worboys in jail he was clearly a very manipulative and dangerous individual.
"We are concerned he may have fooled the board into believing he is no longer a threat.
"The Parole Board must now reveal publicly whether John Worboys has finally admitted his crimes and shown any remorse whatsoever. If he still denies his crimes, then he clearly poses a continuing risk to women." @Richard_Scorer https://t.co/SfYHiZg3sf pic.twitter.com/DZ4CB4XKOq
— Slater and Gordon UK (@SlaterGordonUK) January 5, 2018
"For many years after he was convicted he continued to deny even the offences for which he was found guilty.
"The Parole Board must now reveal publicly whether Worboys has finally admitted his crimes and shown any remorse whatsoever.
"If he still denies his crimes, then he clearly poses a continuing risk to women.
"If he now admits that he deliberately and systematically drugged and raped women, then the police need to look at whether there are any crimes that he was not convicted of and seek justice for those victims."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "These were truly horrendous crimes and our thoughts are with the victims for the pain and suffering they have endured.
"In traumatic and distressing cases like this, it is right that victims decide whether and how they want to be kept updated.
"Some victims in this case chose not to be updated.
"Others chose to be informed by phone or email and were contacted immediately; others chose to be informed by letters which were sent straight away, but of course take longer.
"Our priority is to support victims and it is right that we respect their decisions about how they are contacted."
London mayor Sadiq Khan called on the Parole Board to reconsider its decision to free Worboys, which he said had further undermined victims’ confidence in the justice system.
The grotesque crimes of John Worboys shocked Londoners and destroyed many women’s lives. Public confidence in our criminal justice system is crucial - victims & the public need answers from the @Parole_Board. pic.twitter.com/iBltm9wJoW
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) January 5, 2018
He said the "inconsiderate, unsympathetic and inhumane" failure to inform them of his impending release amounted to a "clear breach" of the victims’ code.
"Public confidence in our criminal justice system is crucial, and victims and the public still need answers from the police and the CPS about the flawed investigation and prosecution," said Mr Khan.
"The Parole Board must reconsider their decision to release this man.
"They also need to be open and transparent about why they reached their decision and explain these further failings."
Prof Hardwick is to be summoned before the House of Commons Justice Committee to explain how the decision to free Worboys was reached and why victims were not informed of his impending release.
The committee’s chairman, Conservative MP Bob Neill, said: "What has happened here is very disturbing. It is vital that the public has confidence in Parole Board decisions."
Mr Neill added: "We will also want to ask about how the parole system can be made much more transparent, something Nick Hardwick himself has rightly called for.
"In my view, it is ridiculous that the current rules prevent the board making public the reasons for their decisions. Professor Hardwick has called for MPs to back ’opening the process up’ and we will give him the opportunity to make precisely that case."
Meanwhile, 58 MPs have signed a letter written to Justice Secretary David Lidington by Labour’s Stella Creasy, demanding to know whether Worboys’ victims were given an opportunity to make representations to the board before it authorised his release.
"The decision to release Mr Worboys, even on strict licensing conditions, cannot be considered to have been made with a full and complete understanding of the impact of his many crimes without such information," the letter said.
The letter also raised the prospect of further prosecutions being brought against Worboys, asking whether women who came forward with additional allegations following the original investigation had been contacted "given their reasonable expectation of a longer sentence".
Signatories from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru include Lib Dem leader Vince Cable and Labour MP Ms Cooper.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
