Black cab rapist jailed for at least eight years

ONE OF Britain's most prolific sex attackers was jailed for an indeterminate period last week in order to protect the public.

Rapist taxi driver, John Worboys, must serve a minimum of eight years in prison after he was found guilty of preying on women in the back of his cab.

He is linked to at least 85 attacks in London and Bournemouth dating back to 2002 and police fear there may be more victims yet to come forward.

Worboys, 51, of Sovereign Crescent, Rotherhithe, was dubbed the 'Black Cab Rapist' after he drugged and assaulted a string of women.

One brave victim who spoke out about her ordeal was single mum, Sarah Craigie, from Dagenham.

She told the POST in March how she escaped Worboys' clutches after he drugged her in the back of his taxi.

Sarah had been on her way home from a night out in Leicester Square and was alone.

Worboys told her he had won money at the races and showed her a bag full of cash, then offered her champagne to celebrate.

This was a tactic often employed by cabbie, Worboys, who sometimes claimed he had won the lottery to get women to celebrate with him.

He preyed on his victims by spiking the champagne with powerful prescription sedatives and over-the-counter sleeping pills.

At the end of a seven week trial at Croydon Crown Court last month, a jury convicted the cabbie of 19 separate offences, including one rape.

Mr Justice Penry-Davey QC said Worboys had breached the worldwide reputation of the London taxi driver to satisfy an enduring and powerful interest in sexual matters.

Worboys starred in amateur porn films in the past and worked as a stripper until 1999.

He denied all charges but was convicted of drugging 12 women, one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration.

Worboys was further convicted of four sexual assaults on four women and one count of attempted sexual assault, relating to his first victim in October 2006.