Carrie Johnson has spoken of her chilling encounter with John Worboys, the black cab rapist convicted of 19 sex offences against 12 women
Carrie Johnson was just 19 years old when she endured a terrifying encounter with one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders(Image: Getty Images)
Carrie Johnson was just 19 years old when she endured a terrifying encounter with one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders. Following a night out with friends in Fulham, long before her marriage to former prime minister Boris Johnson, Carrie was simply a young woman waiting at a bus stop and heading home to her family in Richmond when John Worboys pulled up beside her in his black cab.
Falsely claiming to be travelling in the same direction — he was in fact from Enfield, North London — he offered her a lift, telling the young Carrie (then Symonds) that he couldn’t bear the thought of a woman alone on the streets at night.
She had just a fiver to her name, but he assured her he would gladly accept this modest sum as payment. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter
Unaware of what lay ahead in the back of his taxi, Carrie wrote in the Mail that she initially considered herself extraordinarily fortunate that this apparent Good Samaritan had come to her aid, a cab journey being well beyond her means as a young woman.
This week, the black rapist who has since changed his name in prison to John Radford, was denied parole for a second time, something Carrie, described as “excellent news” in a post on X, acknowledging it had been a “hugely anxious” period for his victims as they awaited the decision on whether the rapist would walk free.
She said: “The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words. Women and girls across Britain are safer as a result of this decision.”
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Worboys, may have targeted over 100 women, according to previous police estimates.
His initial imprisonment came in 2009 following conviction for 19 sexual offences against 12 women between 2006 and 2008 – with Carrie amongst the 12 women who courageously gave evidence to secure his conviction.
A new ITV series titled Believe Me has dramatised the relentless campaign by survivors to achieve justice within a system that repeatedly let them down, with actress Miriam Petche portraying Carrie.
The now 38-year-old has penned a candid new piece for the Daily Mail, offering chilling fresh details about the fateful taxi journey she took with Worboys.
He asserted to numerous victims that he’d secured substantial winnings at a casino and wished to celebrate, presenting the then-19-year-old with Champagne. This act ultimately enabled Carrie to successfully identify him to police.
Carrie recounts that she had always been something of a lightweight when it came to alcohol, so whilst she graciously accepted the glass, she discreetly emptied it onto the taxi’s carpet. She admits she felt no fear of him initially, and had in fact been genuinely pleased about his alleged substantial gambling windfall, which he attempted to verify with a bag of cash on the front passenger seat as he drove.
She wrote: “I even felt a bit sorry for him.
“Here was this man who had apparently won thousands at a casino on his own and now, seemingly with no family or friends to celebrate with, wanted to share a drink with me.
“His manner wasn’t threatening in the slightest. On the contrary, he came across as awkward – almost shy at times. Looking back now, I realise just how manipulative he was. He was a professional conman.”
Carrie Symonds, now Johnson, portrayed by actress Miriam Petche in ITV’s Believe Me. (Image: ITV)
The communications director notes that back in 2007, when the taxi journey occurred, public awareness of date rape drugs was considerably lower, meaning she had no suspicion that he might attempt to spike her drink – instead, she was spared by her own reluctance to consume more alcohol.
After handing over the drink and believing Carrie had consumed it, he attempted to steer the conversation towards sexual matters, posing a deeply unsettling question in a disturbingly light-hearted manner about whether she would accept payment for sexual favours.
Worboys, a former stripper, suggested to the young Carrie that she ought to consider a career as a topless model, leaving the young woman utterly mortified. He then informed her that he needed to pull over to use the toilet.
Carrie felt she had no grounds to object, given that Worboys had essentially offered her a complimentary ride home.
She wrote:”He pulled up near Putney Common and got out. It was pitch dark and totally deserted. He was gone for what must have been nearly ten minutes – an awfully long time to take a quick pee. So long, in fact, that I called my boyfriend to tell him about my strange cab journey and let him know I would be home soon.
“Only later would I realise what Worboys was doing. He was waiting for the drugs in the champagne he believed I had drunk to take effect. Totally oblivious to the danger I was in, I watched as he returned to the cab.”
However, rather than returning to the driver’s seat, Worboys climbed in beside Carrie, bottle of vodka in hand. The young woman’s unease instantly intensified, and she pressed that she needed to get home as her mother, with whom she lived, would be worried — yet under duress, following Worboys’ insistence and an offer of £50, she reluctantly drank a shot of vodka.
Worboys must have been baffled as to why the spiked champagne he had given Carrie had produced no effect, but after she drank the vodka and once again insisted she needed to get home to her mother, he reluctantly continued the journey.
Long before her marriage to former prime minister Boris Johnson, Carrie was simply a young woman waiting at a bus stop and heading home to her family in Richmond(Image: GETTY)
Carrie recalls very little of the remainder of the drive back to Richmond, but in a remarkably foolish move that would ultimately prove his undoing, Worboys pressed her to write down his phone number.
Once safely indoors, she became severely ill. Unable to speak and vomiting uncontrollably, she eventually passed out in the bath, not regaining consciousness until 3pm the following afternoon. Carrie remained completely unaware that she had been drugged by the prolific rapist, attributing her reaction simply to the fact that she rarely drank alcohol, particularly spirits.
Months later, however, a friend informed Carrie that a newspaper article detailing an alleged rape carried out by a taxi driver bore a striking resemblance to her own ordeal. Carrie contacted the police and, because Worboys had furnished her with his number and she was able to identify him in a police line-up, he was successfully caught.
John Worboys(Image: PA)
The court determined in 2009 that he should receive an indefinite sentence for public protection, serving a minimum of eight years. However, in 2017 it emerged he would be granted parole following a private hearing.
Carrie courageously gave up her right to anonymity and spearheaded a campaign with fellow victims to prevent Worboys’ release. The then Conservative Justice Secretary, David Gauke, stated the government would not contest his release, while the Ministry of Justice initially maintained the parole system was operating fairly.
Carrie admitted: “I felt particularly heartbroken by this given my role working to support the government at CCHQ. It was so obvious the system was letting victims down.”
Additional victims of the predatory rapist subsequently came forward, resulting in him receiving two life sentences with a minimum six-year term for sexual offences committed against four women.
Actor Daniel Mays as John Worboys in ITV’s Believe Me(Image: ITV)
As previously stated, on Thursday, May 14 John Worboys was denied parole for a second time. He was refused both release and a move to an open prison, according to a Parole Board spokesperson.
Under current legislation, Worboys will be eligible for a further review in due course, and the date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.
You can watch Believe Me on ITV1 and ITVX this Sunday, May 17 and Monday, May 18 from 9pm
