By James Simons-
The Parole Board miscalculated the danger posed by John Warboys and failed to take into account the full extent of John Worboys’s offending.
Prosecutor, Philippa Kaufmann QC today opened the case against Worboys release on behalf of two of Worboys’s victims who bitterly oppose his release. The prosecution said psychologists were misled into believing they understood the factors that triggered his campaign of violence against women.
Worboys told his assessors that his offending was restricted to an 18-month period between 2006 and 2008. He also explained that it started because his partner temporarily left him.
Warboys first offence against a passenger was in 2002 and he went on to assault at least 105 women. That first offence occurred before the breakdown of his relationship.
“This throws into doubt the entire account he gave of his offending behaviour,” Kaufmann said. “And if the triggers of his offending are not understood then how can the controls [governing his release] be considered? This throws out the Parole Board’s assumption that [Worboys] was open and honest [about dealing with his criminal past].”
Worboys told the Parole Board that he was guilty only of the far smaller number of offences of which he was convicted, it was said.
The court was told he had previously agreed to pay out £241,000 in compensation to a significant number of victims, including many whom he had not been convicted of assaulting.