ITV's new four-part drama, Believe Me, is all about shifting the narratives of the John Worboys case over to the victims and how they were failed by the system.
As per the series synopsis: "We see what countless women say they have to go through after reporting being raped, the indignity of multiple interviews and intimate evidence gathering, and how they can face sceptical lines of questioning from the police."
Read on to find out.
Believe Me true story: What happened to Sarah and Laila?
As we see in the four-parter, the two women join forces along with solicitor Harriet Wistrich (played by Philippa Dunne) to sue the Metropolitan Police for violating their rights under the Human Rights Act.
The case itself set a precedent but also allowed victims to argue that they have been subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment under article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“The ... appeal to the Supreme Court was not based on factual differences between us and the victims, but on the appropriate interpretation of European human rights law. There is no doubt that it will have implications for how we resource and prioritise our investigations.”
Speaking after the verdict, DSD said that her message to the police was: “You have the procedures in place, now start doing your job. Stop using public money to fight [this case against liability]. Had you done your job properly there would not have been 105 victims. I can take the one victim. I can’t take the 105.”
"It's systemic, but it also speaks to, I think, a wider attitude about how we relate to women, how we relate to survivors. There are a lot of attitudes that need shifting and I think the system is just perpetuating those attitudes."
The women were also instrumental in overturning Worboys' parole verdict in 2018, along with London Mayor Sadiq Khan – with more on that below.
Where is John Worboys now?
As depicted in Believe Me, Worboys changed his name in prison to John Radford but in 2017, just eight years (his minimum term) into his indefinite original sentence, the Parole Board approved his release.
In November 2018, the decision was ultimately reversed after two of his victims challenged the board's decision, with the Parole Board stating that Worboys must remain in prison.
According to BBC News, a summary of the reasons had been offered as to why the Parole Board eventually did refuse to release Worboys, which included "risk factors" such as Worboys' "sexual preoccupation, a sense of sexual entitlement and a belief that rape is acceptable".
Ultimately, if it wasn't for the victims coming forward to block Worboys's release, then the Parole Board may have never rethought their decision to release him from prison.
“My top priority as Mayor of London is to keep Londoners safe. I will always do everything within my power to keep them safe from harm. I was approached by one of his victims and I felt it was my duty to seek a Judicial Review into the Parole Board’s irrational decision."
“Regardless of today’s rulings, there needs to be an urgent overhaul of the way Parole Board decisions to release offenders are taken. The shocking failures in the way John Worboys's victims were treated has damaged confidence in the criminal justice system and the time has come for more transparency surrounding decisions to let offenders out of prison”
Those four other victims came forward and subsequently, Worboys admitted to administering a drug with the intention of carrying out indecent assaults, rape or sexual activity on four women, which dated back to 2000.
She said at the Old Bailey hearing: "I am satisfied you are a continuing risk... I find you are currently dangerous. Your offending spans five years more than previously known. I do not know when, if ever, you will cease to be a risk."
In 2018, Worboys was transferred to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire from HMP Belmarsh in south-east London, the Press Association reported at the time.
"We received a report of rape which was reported to have happened in the late 1990s in Blackpool," a spokesperson said at the time. "An investigation was launched, and our enquiries are ongoing. No one has been arrested at this stage."
Peter Rook KC, on behalf of the chair of the Parole Board, said Worboys will face a public parole hearing on 9 and 10 June.
While most parole hearings are a private affair, the case of Worboys will be the 12th to be held in public since 2022 and will ultimately decide if Worboys – who is a Category A prisoner – is safe to be released or if he could be moved to an open jail.
"So, to me, I'm thinking, 'Well, there you go.' I'm not going to finish that sentence because I don't think across the line, but that's the fact. This is a man who's attacked 105 women."
For information and support, please visit Rape Crisis or The Survivors Trust.
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