Victims of black cab rapist John Worboys in court to see him jailed indefinitely

Worboys, 51, will serve a minimum of eight years for drugging and sexually assaulting women passengers.

Several of the taxi driver's victims were among more than 60 people who packed into Croydon crown court this afternoon to see him jailed.

Imposing the sentence, Mr Justice Penry-Davey
stressed Worboys would only be released if he was judged to be no longer a threat to women.

The judge also ordered that his taxi, worth £5,000, and a carrier bag filled with £3,680 found by police should be split between his 12 victims.

Worboys was unmoved as the judge told him: "Drivers of licensed black cabs in London have a worldwide reputation for their professional trustworthiness. As somebody with an enduring and powerful interest in sexual matters you saw an opportunity through cab driving.

"You exploited that trust and, through the use of alcohol and drugs, you sexually abused young women who had trusted you to take them home safely late at night as it was your duty in the circumstances to do."

Detectives believe Worboys could be one of Britain's most prolific sex attackers, naming him as the prime suspect in at least 85 attacks in the London and Dorset areas dating from 2002.

Since his conviction women have contacted them claiming the former stripper and adult film star targeted them. Senior officers said they would interview him in prison to try to clear up dozens of unsolved sex crimes.

Worboys was found guilty last month of assaulting 12 women over 18 months in London. Many of his victims were young and had been drinking and the cabbie offered them champagne spiked with powerful sedatives to celebrate a fictional lottery win, leaving them unable to defend themselves.

The Metropolitan Police's handling of inquiries into serious sex attacks has been severely criticised since Worboys's conviction. Police in Plumstead missed a key opportunity to end his offending when they arrested him in July 2007 in connection with an attack on a 19-year-old student.

It emerged during the trial that detectives did not act on the results of toxicology tests that found suspicious drugs in the victim's blood. They also failed to search his Rotherhithe home or examine his cab.

Several officers face disciplinary action after the Independent Police Complaints Commission launched an inquiry. The case of a second sex attacker, Kirk Reid, who stalked women in south-west London, raised further questions about investigations.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson joined London Mayor Boris Johnson today to launch a strategy to tackle violence against women. He said of the Worboys case: "There are concerning aspects of that case, quite clearly, but there is no job in life where we shouldn't be learning lessons."