Lancashire Police have launched a new investigation into notorious black cab rapist John Worboys over an alleged sex attack in Blackpool during the 1990s, when the predator worked as a male stripper.
The 68-year-old serial sex offender, now known as John Radford, is currently serving life imprisonment for drugging and sexually assaulting women in his London taxi over many years.
Police confirmed they are probing the historic allegation dating back more than 25 years, adding to the mounting evidence that Worboys’ campaign of sexual violence may have begun far earlier than previously prosecuted.
Lancashire Police Confirm Investigation
A Lancashire Police spokesperson confirmed the force had opened an active investigation into the historic rape allegation.
“We received a report of rape which was reported to have happened in the late 1990s in Blackpool,” the spokesperson stated.
“An investigation was launched, and our enquiries are ongoing. No one has been arrested at this stage.”
The alleged attack would have occurred during Worboys’ 13-year career as a male stripper, when he performed under the stage name “Terry the Minder” between 1987 and 2000.
Britain’s Most Prolific Sex Offender
Worboys, from Enfield, north London, became known as the black cab rapist after attacking victims in his Hackney carriage across the capital.
Police previously said that they believe the former male stripper committed offences against more than 100 women before he was caught.
The predator’s modus operandi involved picking up women late at night before claiming he was celebrating a lottery win or casino windfall, showing them a bag full of cash, and offering them drugged champagne.
After the sedatives took effect, he would rape or sexually assault his victims, who often had little memory of what happened to them.
Multiple Convictions and Life Sentences
Worboys was first jailed indefinitely for public protection with a minimum term of eight years in 2009, after being found guilty of 19 sex offences against 12 women between 2006 and 2008.
He was later jailed for life with a minimum term of six years at the Old Bailey in December 2019 after he admitted spiking the drinks of four women.
The second conviction came after a public outcry when the Parole Board controversially decided he was safe to be freed in 2018 after serving 10 years.
Parole Board Controversy
The 2018 Parole Board ruling declaring Worboys safe for release sparked national outrage and was later overturned by the High Court following a landmark judicial review brought by two of his victims.
Three High Court judges ruled the Parole Board had acted “irrationally” by failing to investigate evidence suggesting Worboys had attacked more than 80 women.
The court heard the board had information about potential offences against numerous other victims but failed to make further inquiries before approving his release.
Nick Hardwick, chairman of the Parole Board, was forced to resign following the ruling after Justice Secretary David Gauke said his position had become “untenable”.
Victims Come Forward After Release Ruling
The publicity surrounding the 2018 release decision prompted four more victims to come forward, leading to Worboys’ second trial and life sentence.
He admitted two charges of administering a drug with intent to commit rape or indecent assault, and two further charges of administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Among the reasons given for subsequently refusing Worboys parole were his “sense of sexual entitlement” and a need to control women.
Pattern of Offending Spans Decades
Court records reveal Worboys’ pattern of predatory behaviour stretched back far longer than his 2009 convictions suggested.
One victim picked up by Worboys in 2000 or early 2001 after an evening at a Soho wine bar remembered him claiming to celebrate a win on the horses before her last memory of being given red wine.
She awoke naked in bed the next day at her home with her clothes laid in a trail, having no memory of how she got there.
Another victim, a university student, was attacked in 2003 after a night out clubbing in central London with a friend.
Former Stripper Turned Predator
Worboys worked as a stripper from 1987 to 2000, performing at venues across the country including in Blackpool, where the latest allegation originates.
He passed The Knowledge exam in 1996, allowing him to operate as a licensed black cab driver in London whilst continuing to work as a stripper at night.
The first reports to police concerning suspicious incidents experienced by women in black cabs dated from 2002, though evidence now suggests his offending may have begun years earlier.
Shocking Scale of Offending
During Worboys’ 2019 sentencing, the court heard he had confessed to a psychologist that he plied 90 women with alcohol, drugging a quarter of them, after being inspired by pornography.
An investigation by the High Court found that by the time of his 2009 trial, 83 cases had been linked to Worboys, with evidence suggesting he committed in excess of 105 rapes and sexual assaults.
The Crown Prosecution Service had decided against prosecuting all cases, with one victim being told there were “dangers in putting too many charges on an indictment at the trial”.
Impact on Parole System
The Worboys case led to significant reforms of the parole system, including the abolition of Rule 25, which had prevented publication of reasons for parole decisions.
The High Court ruled the blanket ban on transparency breached principles of open justice, forcing the government to allow summaries of parole decisions to be made available to victims.
The case marked the first time a parole decision had been successfully challenged in court by victims rather than the prisoner themselves.
Ongoing Imprisonment
Worboys remains in prison after losing an appeal against his 2019 life sentences, with judges ruling the minimum six-year term was not excessive given the “protracted period” of offending.
Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice, said the sentencing judge had been confronted with offences “in circumstances bristling with aggravating factors”.
The new investigation by Lancashire Police adds to the mounting evidence that Worboys’ reign of terror against women may have spanned multiple decades across different parts of the country.
Any victims with information about historic offences are urged to contact Lancashire Police or report via Crimestoppers anonymously.
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