Worboys victims let down by Government lawyers who told them rapist taxi driver would be jailed for LIFE
The Crown Prosecution Service wrote to victims in 2009 saying Worboys had a life sentence 'to all intents and purposes'
VICTIMS of rapist cabbie John Worboys were told by Government lawyers he might NEVER be released from prison, it emerged last night.
A senior prosecutor wrote to women who’d been assaulted by the sex attacker and claimed Worboys had been given life sentence “to all intents and purposes”.
The victims were also told there was no point charging Worboys with further crimes, because his sentence was already so long.
The revelations will fuel the anger of victims who feel they have been left out of the loop with news of the rapist’s imminent release from jail.
Anthony Connell, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, wrote to victims after Worboys was given an indeterminate jail sentence in 2009, .
He said: “An indeterminate sentence is a new sentence that has been introduced only a few years ago. To all intents and purposes, it is a sentence of life imprisonment.”
Mr Connell insisted that although the attacker’s minimum tariff was only eight years, he was unlikely to get out of prison after such a short spell.
He wrote: “Merely because he is allowed to apply after eight years, does not mean that he will be granted parole.
"It is clear from the judge's sentencing remarks that he is considered a dangerous offender.
"Those responsible for considering any application by him will no doubt have in mind this fact together with the fact that he committed an awful lot of serious offences."
Worboys will have served nine years when he walks free within the next few weeks.
A spokesman for the CPS said today: “In April 2009, following the sentencing of John Worboys, the CPS reviewing lawyer wrote a detailed letter to victims and complainants. The letter explained details of Worboys’ sentence and the role of the Parole Board in his future release.”
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In a separate message sent around the same time, Detective Inspector David Reid told victims Worboys would not face further charges “partly because of the lengthy sentence anticipated”, according to the BBC.
The taxi driver was convicted for raping or sexually assaulting 12 women - but he has also been accused of more than 100 other offences which never went to trial.
A lawyer for the victims yesterday urged anyone who may have been attacked by Worboys to come forward, because prosecutors could choose to press charges over any offences which are reported for the first time.