Former Tory aide Carrie Symonds reveals she was targeted by black cab sex attacker John Worboys Aide romantically linked to Boris Johnson played role in campaign to keep Worboys in prison after parole board ordered his release

The former Conservative Party worker romantically linked to Boris Johnson has waived her anonymity to reveal that she was targeted by serial sex attacker John Worboys.

Carrie Symonds described how she was a 19-year-old student when she was offered a lift in 2007 by the rapist, who used his job as a black cab driver to offer his victims spiked drinks and then assault them while they were passed out or semi-conscious.

Indefinite sentence

The former Tory aide, who is now 30, gave permission to the Sunday Times to reprint an article explaining her ordeal which was previously published earlier this year under an anonymous byline.

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Ms Symonds was one of a number of victims of Worboys who expressed outrage when a parole board ordered his release, eventually forcing a High Court ruling that put the attacker back behind bars. Police believe the cab driver, who was given an indefinite sentence in 2009, may have assaulted dozens of women and are investigating further claims against the 61-year-old.

The former Conservative Central Office worker, who was until recently the party’s director of communication, had lobbied ministers over the issue. The Sunday Times said the manner of her subsequent treatment by party bosses over her actions designed to highlight the Worboys case was one of the reasons she left her role this summer.

Bus stop

In the article, Ms Symonds said Worboys had approached her while she was waiting at a bus stop and offered to take her home despite the fact she only had £5. He lied that he lived in the same area as her.

She said she had poured away the first drink he offered her because she did not like the taste of alcohol but then accepted a second drink, after which she could remember little or nothing.

Ms Symonds wrote: “I feel I would know if Worboys had raped me that night. I’d have flashbacks or there would have been horrendous tell-tale signs when I woke the next day. But I will never truly know for sure what happened after he drugged me.”

Misogynistic

The former aide, who was respected for her work to try to detoxify the Conservative image, was strongly defended last week after she was put under public scrutiny over her relationship with Mr Johnson following the announcement that he is to divorce. Critics said the portrayal of Ms Symonds, which focused on her personal life and social media posts, was misogynistic. It prompted a letter from 80 women working in Westminster condemning her treatment.