John Worboys denied parole for second time, stays in prison
john worboys will stay in prison after the Parole Board refused to release the 68-year-old for a second time on Thursday. The board said he continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences upon women and also declined to recommend transfer to open prison.
Worboys, now known as John Radford, accepted that he does not currently meet the test for release. In the board’s decision, he said he felt “enormous regret, remorse and shame” toward the women he has harmed and their families and friends.
John Worboys and the parole ruling
The decision keeps in custody a prisoner whose case has already moved through multiple release reviews. Worboys first sought parole after a 2009 conviction for 19 sexual offences linked to attacks on 12 women between October 2006 and February 2008, when he received an indefinite sentence for public protection with a minimum term of eight years.
He was later sentenced in 2019 to life with a minimum term of six years after more victims came forward about crimes he admitted to between 2000 and 2008. That later release decision was overturned after a legal challenge by two of his victims.
John Radford and earlier release
A 2019 report from his prison psychologist said he accepted he preyed on 90 individuals. Thursday’s ruling was made behind closed doors, and the board again refused to move him to open prison.
Carrie Johnson, who had previously waived her anonymity to speak about her experience, said the ruling means “women and girls across Britain are safer as a result.” She added: “It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that Worboys was up for parole again” and said: “The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words.”
Carrie Johnson on the decision
The case remains one of the longest-running sexual offence cases linked to a single prisoner in recent public memory, with the board now having refused release twice. For women who came forward after the earlier parole move, the practical result is that Worboys stays in custody and does not move to open prison.
