This article on Believe Me discusses rape and sexual abuse.
While Netflix has had our full attention in recent weeks with documentaries like Trust Me: The False Prophet and Should I Marry a Murderer?, as well as the harrowing cult series Unchosen, ITV has quietly crept up behind them.
We’ve always been fans of ITV — they’ve given us reality TV gold like Love Island and I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! — but now they’re stepping firmly into hard-hitting drama territory with their latest series, Believe Me.
- Is Believe Me based on a true story?
- Who is John Worboys, the ‘Black Cab Rapist’?
- How did John Worboys commit his crimes?
- How was John Worboys caught?
- Was John Worboys convicted?
- How many victims did John Worboys have?
- Was John Worboys released on parole?
- Where is John Worboys now?
- What happened to Laila and Sarah?
Over four episodes, the series tells the story of the 'Black Cab Rapist' and his victims’ fight for justice. But is Believe Me based on a true story — and what actually happened to the perpetrator? Where is John Worboys now? Here’s everything you need to know about Believe Me, answered.
Is Believe Me based on a true story?
Yes, Believe Me is based on the true story of the so-called ‘Black Cab Rapist,’ who carried out a series of sexual assaults between the early 2000s and 2008.
He is believed to be one of the UK’s most prolific serial rapists, with the case drawing widespread attention over both the scale of the crimes and serious questions raised about how long he was able to evade justice.
Who is John Worboys, the ‘Black Cab Rapist’?
John Worboys is a former black cab driver who worked in London and Bournemouth.
Outside of his work as a taxi driver, Worboys also performed as a stripper under the name “Terry” and was involved in making pornographic films. He married in the 1990s, but the relationship ended after a few years.
He was later convicted of multiple sexual assault charges after being found to have lured female passengers into his taxi and allegedly drugged them.
How did John Worboys commit his crimes?
Worboys followed a repeated pattern of alleged offending. He would often pick up women late at night in London or Bournemouth and reportedly claim he had won the lottery or a large sum at a casino, sometimes showing a bag of cash as “proof.”
He would then invite passengers to drink what he described as champagne to celebrate, which prosecutors later said was likely spiked with sedatives. Once the drugs took effect, he carried out sexual assaults.
It took multiple victims coming forward, with many describing similar experiences, including memory loss, confusion, and unexplained physical injuries, before police began to identify patterns linking the cases and building a broader investigation.
One victim said she awoke to find her tampon missing but couldn't explain why, and another had given birth just weeks before her assault, according to a report by The Guardian.
It tells the tale of the infamous “Black Cab Rapist.”
How was John Worboys caught?
After an assault on a student in July 2007, John Worboys was captured on CCTV, and his vehicle’s number plate was recorded after he dropped her back at her university accommodation. He was questioned by police at the time, but the case was ultimately dropped.
Worboys continued his attacks, and in February 2008, he was rearrested after several more women reported similar experiences, including being offered alcohol, feeling confused or losing consciousness, or recalling him becoming aggressive when they refused drinks.
Police were then forced to revisit the case more thoroughly, which led to his arrest. This development followed legal action brought by two survivors — referred to as Sarah and Laila in Believe Me to protect their identities — against the Metropolitan Police, citing serious failings in the investigation into their reports of drug-facilitated rape.
Was John Worboys convicted?
On 18 February 2008, the taxi driver John Worboys was charged with one count of rape, four counts of sexual assault, and six counts of administering a substance with intent.
Following a public appeal, more victims came forward, bringing the total number of complainants to 14.
During his January 2009 trial, Worboys pleaded not guilty to 23 charges. His defence argued that while he was an “oddball,” he was not a rapist or predator.
The jury later found him guilty of one count of rape, five counts of sexual assault, one attempted sexual assault, and 12 counts of drugging, with offences spanning July 2007 to February 2008.
In 2019, he was also found guilty of a further four charges.
How many victims did John Worboys have?
We’ll likely never know exactly how many women John Worboys assaulted. In 2009, he was convicted of attacking 12 women, and in 2019 he was found guilty of a further four charges. The earliest known allegations date back to 2000.
However, those figures only reflect the cases that were pursued in court. In reality, over 100 women have reported incidents involving Worboys to the police. Many others may never have come forward, leading some to believe the true number of victims could be significantly higher.
Was John Worboys released on parole?
Worboys was first convicted in 2009 of 19 offences, including rape and sexual assault, and given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of eight years.
In 2018, he was considered for release by the Parole Board, with his religious conversion cited as part of the assessment. He was approved for release under “stringent” licence conditions after a psychologist concluded he posed a low risk of sexual reoffending.
However, a public outcry and a landmark High Court ruling blocked his release, triggering further legal scrutiny. In 2019, he was convicted of four additional attacks and handed two life sentences, with the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Maura McGowan, describing him as still “dangerous.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also supported the judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision. He said: “I welcome today’s decision, which will bring some reassurance to the victims of John Worboys and to all Londoners.” He added that he had acted after being approached by a victim, stating it was his duty to challenge what he called an “irrational decision.”
Believe Me also follows how survivors Sarah and Laila, with lawyers Harriet Wistrich and Philippa Kaufman, used the Human Rights Act to hold the police accountable, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court and setting an important legal precedent for others failed by public authorities. It additionally covers the successful judicial review that overturned the Parole Board’s decision to release Worboys.
Despite later attempts to appeal his sentence as “excessive” in 2021, the courts upheld it, ruling that he remained a “significant risk” to the public.
Where is John Worboys now?
In 2018, John Worboys was transferred to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire from HMP Belmarsh in south-east London. At the time of Believe Me’s release, the 68-year-old remains incarcerated at the high-security prison.
In August 2025, Lancashire Police confirmed a new investigation into Worboys after an allegation of rape was reported, said to have occurred in the late 1990s in Blackpool. A spokesperson said: “We received a report of rape which was reported to have happened in the late 1990s in Blackpool. An investigation was launched, and our enquiries are ongoing. No one has been arrested at this stage.”
In January 2026, it was also announced that Worboys is set to face a public parole hearing as he continues his bid for release, scheduled for 9 and 10 June.
Peter Rook KC, speaking on behalf of the chair of the Parole Board, said: “Proceedings are likely to include discussion about allegations that Mr Worboys has carried out serious sexual assaults for which he has not been convicted.”
While most parole hearings are held in private, this one will be public, making it the 12th such hearing since the system began opening select cases in 2022.
What happened to Laila and Sarah?
As mentioned, the real Sarah and Laila — known publicly only as DSD and NBV — brought a case against the Metropolitan Police Service, arguing that their rights under the Human Rights Act had been violated after failures in the investigation into John Worboys.
They also spoke with actors Aasiya Shah and Aimee-Ffion Edwards to help with their roles.
In 2018, they won their claim after the court found that the Met had failed to properly investigate their allegations. They were awarded £41,250 in compensation.
Following the ruling, DSD said, “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.”
The case set a major legal precedent, establishing that victims can argue they were subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights when police fail to properly investigate serious allegations.
At the time, then deputy commissioner of the Met, Sir Craig Mackey, said: “We have always accepted that serious mistakes were made in this investigation and it was only the courage of the victims coming forward, including these two claimants, that enabled us to finally convict Worboys.” He added that the appeal to the Supreme Court was not about factual disagreement, but the interpretation of human rights law, noting it would have significant implications for how investigations are resourced and prioritised going forward.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
