Black cab rapist John Worboys refused parole for a second time - as he admits attacks on 90 women

Black cab rapist John Worboys has been refused parole as he still poses a "high risk" of sexually assaulting woman.

Worboys, 68, who changed his name in prison to John Radford, was first jailed in 2009 for 19 sex offences against 12 women between 2006 and 2008.

But according to a Parole Board report published on Thursday, which did not recommend his release or a move to an open prison, he now accepts attacking 90 women.

Worboys had been due to face a public hearing in June, but it was cancelled after he asked for the decision to be made based on written evidence submitted to the panel.

"The panel have no doubt that the extent of Mr Worboys' offending and the number of victims should be taken into account when assessing Mr Worboys' risk," the report said.

"In the panel's view, Mr Worboys continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences upon women."

In the panel's decision, led by Peter Rook KC, the report states Worboys "accepts he does not currently meet the test for release" and claims to feel "enormous regret, remorse and shame" towards "the women he has harmed and their families and friends".

In 2017, the Parole Board controversially said Worboys could be freed from prison, but the decision was reversed after a landmark legal challenge backed by Carrie Johnson, who was given a lift by him when she was 19.

Mrs Johnson, the wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, posted on X after the ruling: "It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that Worboys was up for parole again.

"The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words.

"Women and girls across Britain are safer as a result of this decision."

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Amid the public outrage following the 2017 decision, rules were changed to allow some parole hearings to be held in public to open up the process to more scrutiny.

Following the legal challenge, a parole board decided he should remain in jail, and a subsequent probation report found he was "potentially just as dangerous now as the point of the first sentence".

After four more victims came forward, Worboys was handed two life sentences with a minimum term of six years in December 2019, as a judge said he posed an ongoing danger to women.

Police previously said they believe the former male stripper committed offences against more than 100 women before he was caught.

Worboys, from Enfield, north London, gained notoriety as the so-called 'black cab rapist' after attacking women in his Hackney carriage.

He often claimed to have scooped a windfall on the lottery or on horse racing, showing his victims a bag of cash and offering them champagne, which had been laced with drugs.

The case has been highlighted recently with new ITV drama, Believe Me, starring Daniel Mays.

(c) Sky News 2026: Black cab rapist John Worboys refused parole for a second time - as he admits attacks on 90 wo