Police interview serial sex attacker, a former London cab driver who was given an indefinite prison term in 2009

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The serial sex attacker John Worboys has been questioned by police over a string of further sexual abuse allegations, the Guardian understands.

The investigation was launched in January after a group of women got in touch with the police to make allegations against Worboys dating as far back as 1997. The allegations being investigated include sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence.

There was an outcry in January when it emerged that Worboys, who drugged, sexually assaulted and raped women in the back of his black cab in London, was due to be released on parole shortly after having served the eight-year minimum term of the indefinite jail term he was given in 2009.

The 61-year-old’s victims succeeded in forcing the Parole Board to reconsider its decision after taking their case to the high court in London. Judges ordered the panel to carry out a “fresh determination”, with Worboys remaining in prison pending the outcome.

In February, he was moved back to Wakefield prison, where he had served his sentence, from HMP Belmarsh, where he had been transferred after the Parole Board’s initial decision.

On Monday, Scotland Yard said: “Detectives investigating a number of allegations of non-recent sexual assault have interviewed a 61-year-old man under caution.

“An investigation was launched in January 2018 after a number of women contacted police with information. Since then, officers have assessed all the information provided and established there are a number of allegations that required investigation. Police also sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Police declined to identify the man they questioned at a “venue in Yorkshire on Wednesday 4 July”. He was interviewed over allegations that included “sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence; and are said to have been committed between 1997 and 2007”.