Cab driver guilty of sex attacks

A London taxi driver has been found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a series of female passengers in the back of his cab.

John Worboys, 51, of Rotherhithe, London, gave them drinks laced with sedatives, Croydon Crown Court heard.

He was convicted of one rape, five sexual assaults, one attempted assault and 12 drugging charges committed from July 2007 to February 2008.

He had denied all the offences and was also cleared of two drugging charges.

Warboys picked his lone victims up in London's West End and gave them champagne, claiming he had won large amounts of money on the lottery or at casinos.

The former male stripper wept in the dock as he was convicted of rape.

Mr Justice Penry-Davey addressed him, saying: "You have heard already that I do not intend to sentence you today.

"I am putting the case back for a pre-sentencing report and also a psychiatric report.

"You must be under no illusion that this case requires and will get a very substantial term of imprisonment."

Worboys will be sentenced on 21 April.

'Rape kit'

Prosecutors said the experienced licensed hackney cab driver targeted 14 women in total over 18 months until his arrest in February last year.

The defendant drove around looking for women who had already been drinking to offer heavily discounted or free lifts home, the jury was told.

He often claimed he lived in the same area as his victims and was concerned they would be approached by illegal minicab drivers.

He would show them a carrier bag full of cash before offering them a drink to celebrate.

But these drinks were mixed with sedatives and his victims were unable to prevent him assaulting them, the court heard.

The court was told many women were left with little memory of their ordeals and could only recall falling asleep in the back of the vehicle before waking up at home.

Some were left with flashbacks and vague memories of Worboys sitting beside them and adjusting their clothing.

One woman remembered being raped, a second woke up to find him with his hand up her skirt and a third said he exposed himself.

Worboys admitted lying to the women and offering them drinks but claimed he did it because he craved female attention in the wake of a series of failed relationships.

But police discovered a "rape kit", including gloves, alcohol, glasses, drugs, condoms and a sex toy concealed in a plastic bag in another vehicle at his home.

Outside court, Det Insp Dave Reid, of the Metropolitan Police, praised the courage of the 14 women who gave evidence in court.

He also urged other women who thought they may have been a victim of Worboys to contact a special telephone hotline - 0800 1214441.

Inquiry ordered

One woman who fears she was another victim of Worboys, although her case was not included in the charges, says she believes he gave her a spiked drink after picking her up outside a nightclub in London's Leicester Square.

Sarah Craigie told Sky News: "A gentleman told me he had a good day at the races with some friends and he had won some money, and he asked me if I wanted to help celebrate with him. He offered me champagne, whisky, vodka, the lot.

"I had a can of Diet Coke and I was drinking that and he was telling me about the races.

"I really do think that my drink was spiked, 100%. I know what being drunk is like and I wasn't drunk, I felt very disorientated, I felt very vulnerable."

Commander Mark Simmons, head of the Metropolitan Police's violent crime directorate, stressed it was still safe for women to go out in London.

"To find someone who is in a position that is generally regarded as almost being one of trust as a black cab driver who abuses that trust, this is highly unusual," he said.

"We advise anyone going out late at night to take sensible precautions to make sure they get home safely. But we're not in any way changing our advice around the use of safe forms of travel at night."

Meanwhile an independent investigation has been ordered by the Metropolitan Police after it emerged Worboys was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in July 2007 but no further action was taken.

He was held at a police station in Plumstead, south-east London, but released on bail.

In February 2008 he was arrested for a second time, which led to the charges on which he was convicted.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission will examine the way the case was handled.

Bob Oddy from the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association insisted black cabs were safe, despite Worboys' conviction.

"This man has really let the side down. It won't happen again and you can be confident the next taxi you stop will get you to your destination safely," he said.

Worboys admitted sexual activity with some customers



Police seized bottles of spiked alcohol following the arrest of Worboys


Timeline: Sex crimes of taxi driver

14 October 2006: A 25-year-old woman was returning home after a night out in Fulham, south-west London, when she met Worboys. She woke up after a drink to find him assaulting her. Limited memory of the incident.

9 November 2006: A journalist boarded his cab in Regent Street. She had a drink with him and fell unconscious. Woke up hours later with no memory.

April 2007: A 22-year-old woman was returning home from a birthday party in Oxford Street. She was offered a lift to Middlesex for £30. Worboys became aggressive when she refused to take a drink he offered her.

29 June 2007: Worboys picked up a young office worker in Regent Street in the early hours and offered to take her home to Tufnell Park, north London. She drank champagne and accused him of forcibly kissing her.

July 2007: Worboys offered a student, whom he picked up near Kings Road, £50 to drink a glass of vodka - which she did. She refused to perform a sex act for £350. Limited memory of the incident.

26 July 2007: A teenage student got into Worboys' taxi at Covent Garden. He forced a pill into her mouth after she had had a drink. She has no memories of the night.

27 July 2007: Worboys was arrested after CCTV recorded him carrying the teenager out of the cab at 0430 BST but was released when he denied sexual conduct.

21 December 2007: A victim reported she was raped as Worboys drove her home to Putney in south-west London from a club in Tottenham Court Road. His DNA was found in a semen stain on her underwear.

3 January 2008: A 29-year-old insurance broker was picked up from a City pub and Worboys offered to take her home to Hornchurch, Essex, for £20. She said he asked her to perform a sex act before exposing himself.

31 January 2008: A 31-year-old advertising director boarded the cab outside a Soho club for Herne Hill in south-east London. She drank champagne and remembers him assaulting her.

February 2008: A new mother on her first night out after her baby was born was returning home to Twickenham in south-west London. Her friend told Worboys she was on maternity leave. She had a drink and felt drowsy. Her fiance found her slumped by the toilet at their home unable to move her legs.

13 February 2008: A 30-year-old journalist took the cab with her friend outside a central London restaurant. She pretended to sip a drink Worboys gave her after she noticed fizzing and a piece of foil in the glass. She said he asked her if she would perform a sex act for £5,000. She contacted police after his arrest.

15 February 2008: An 18-year-old woman and her friend boarded Worboys cab at Oxford Street. After her friend was dropped off he offered her a drink that she initially refused. She lost consciousness but when she came round she was still in the cab and Worboys refused to let her out.

16 February 2008: Worboys is arrested by police.

18 February 2008: John Worboys faces a series of charges, including one count of rape, four counts of sexual assault and six counts of administering a substance with intent. The charges follow an investigation into five attacks. Police said 30 women answered an appeal.

January 2009: Worboys denies 23 charges, including rape and sexual assault as the trial began. He was accused of attacking 14 women.

What a BASTARD!! I hope he gets raped in jail, over 200 times.

My other half is doing the Knowledge to be a Black Taxi driver - they are supposed to trusted members of our society, the safest way to travel. He has given Taxi drivers a bad name. He should rot in hell.