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Labour have demanded the Government urgently rethink the Parole Board’s rules in the wake of plans to release of rapist John Worboys.

Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon said ministers must “take action to put an end to this untenable situation.”

It came as a cross-party group of 58 MPs wrote to Justice Secretary David Lidington demanding a full investigation into the decision to release the serial sexual offender after just nine years in prison.

The MPs, led by Labour MP Stella Creasy, called on the Government to confirm victims’ perspectives were considered when making the decision to release Worboys, who was convicted of one count of rape and 12 counts of drugging women in his London taxi.

Since his conviction dozens more women have come forward claiming they were assaulted or drugged by Worboys.

Burgon said: “The John Worboys case shows it’s time for greater transparency of the Parole Board’s decisions. The Parole Board says that the current rules are preventing public disclosure of the reasons behind its decisions.

“The government needs to take action to put an end to this untenable situation. It must urgently set out plans to amend the current rules so that the public can have greater confidence in Parole Board decisions.”

(Image: PA)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan demanded the decision be reconsidered, and said it was “inconsiderate, unsympathetic and inhumane” that some of Worboys’ victims may not have been informed that he was set for release, which he said was a “clear breach of the Victims code.”

Professor Nick Hardwick, the chair of the Parole Board who approved Worboys’ release said he was “very concerned” that victims may not have been informed. He said it must be “very distressing” for them and admitted there was a “lack of transparency” in the Parole Board’s decision making process.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "These were truly horrendous crimes and our thoughts are with the victims for the pain and suffering they have endured.

"In traumatic and distressing cases like this, it is right that victims decide whether and how they want to be kept updated.

"Some victims in this case chose not to be updated.

"Others chose to be informed by phone or email and were contacted immediately; others chose to be informed by letters which were sent straight away, but of course take longer.

"Our priority is to support victims and it is right that we respect their decisions about how they are contacted."

In a letter to Justice Secretary David Lidington, some 58 Labour and Lib Dem MPs demanded an investigation into how the decision to release Worboys was reached.

The letter read: “Police have linked him with 83 crimes committed between 2006 and 2008 and more women came forward in light of the court case, bringing the potential total of victims to 102.

“Whilst we respect the independence of the judiciary in making the decision regarding his sentence, and the Parole Board should operate independently of the Ministry of Justice in its decision-making, we are concerned at the management of his application for release and the MoJ’s role in this regard, and the questions this may raise for victims and survivors of serious sexual assault.”

The letter calls for an urgent investigation into whether Worboys’ many victims were given an opportunity to make representations to the Parole Board about his possible release.

It says: “The decision to release Mr Worboys, even on strict licensing conditions, cannot be considered to have been made with a full and complete understanding of the impact of his many crimes without such information.”