The $30 million price of silence

John Worboys, the convicted Black Cab Rapist,may have had significantly more victims than the 12 women whose cases resulted in his 2009 conviction. This alarming revelation comes from survivors who have been speaking publicly about their experiences and the ongoing threat posed by this dangerous offender.

Between 2000 and 2008, Worboys operated as a licensed London black cab driver, targeting vulnerable lone women by luring them into consuming champagne that he had spiekd with drugs. His method was deceptively simple yet effective: he would tell his victims an elaborate story about winning big at a casino, offering them a celebratory drink. Once they were incapacitated by the drugs, he would assault them.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

Sarah, a survivor of Worboys' attacks, has explicitly stated that there are credible reports from women in Bournemouth, where Worboys owned a property, and in Blackpool, where he worked, who believe they were attacked by him. She emphasized the importance of viewers of the new ITV drama Believe Me understanding that his offending was not geographically limited to the capital.

Sarah expressed concern that people might dismiss the possibility of being Worboys' victim simply because they did not live in London, thereby missing crucial opportunities to come forward with information that could keep him incarcerated.

A familiar pattern from the 2019 crash

During his second trial at the Old Bailey in 2019, the court heard shocking admissions from Worboys himself. He told a prison psychologist that he had plied approximately 90 women with alcohol and drugged roughly a quarter of them, representing around 22 to 23 women.

Even more disturbing, he revealed that he had harbored fantasies about committing these crimes as far back as 1986,a full fourteen years before his first convicted offense in 2000. this revelation suggests a deeply ingrained and longstanding pattern of sexual predation.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Carrie Johnson, who waived her anonymity to advocate for justice, has been particularly vocal about the likelihood that Worboys had far more victims than officially recognized. She believes the true number of women targeted could potentially run into the thousands.

Johnson has received messages on social media from women who reported similar experiences to police at the same time she did but were told their cases would not be pursued because sufficient evidence had already been gathered. This raises disturbing questions about how many victims were systematically excluded from the official investigation and prosecution.

Broader context: An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

The case of John Worboys represents a significant failure in the criminal justice system to adequately investigate and prosecute sexual violence. The decision to include only 12 cases in the original prosecution,despite receiving reports from many more women, meant that numerous victims were denied justice and that the full extent of Worboys' criminality was never formally acknowledged.

The subsequent near-release of Worboys in 2018 demonstrated the ongoing vulnerability of these cases to parole board decisions that may not fully account for the severity and scope of the offender's crimes .

Open questions: Who is the unnamed buyer?

Survivors like Sarah and Carrie Johnson continue to advocate for greater recognition of the true extent of Worboys' crimes and the importance of victim reporting. They are using their platforms to encourage other potential victims to break their silence and contact authorities.

The message is clear : coming forward with information about attacks by Worboys serves an essential function in keeping him imprisoned and protecting other women from potential harm.