The new ITV drama Believe Me shines a light on the ordeal of Carrie Johnson, who was targeted by the notorious 'black cab rapist' John Worboys. Worboys is believed to have potentially assaulted more than 100 women, including a teenage Carrie Symonds, now known as Carrie Johnson, wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
A Night That Changed Everything
On a summer evening in 2007, 19-year-old student Carrie Symonds was waiting for a night bus on the King's Road in Chelsea after a night out with friends. A black cab pulled up, and the driver offered to take her home to East Sheen for just £5, claiming he lived nearby. Once inside, the driver said he had won big at a casino and invited her to celebrate with champagne. Suspicious, she poured it onto the floor when he wasn't looking. Later, he persuaded her to drink a shot of vodka, which she agreed to out of a sense of indebtedness. From that point, she remembered little; her mother later said she could barely walk when she arrived home. Months later, she learned about John Worboys, the 'black cab rapist' accused of drugging female passengers with spiked champagne. 'I will never truly know for sure what happened after he drugged me,' Johnson wrote in 2018, waiving her anonymity.
Systemic Failures
Johnson's story is one of many. Worboys is believed to have targeted over 100 women, highlighting the dangers women face simply trying to get home. 'I had always been told that minicabs were dangerous but black cabs were safe,' Johnson recalled. 'I’m sure that’s the only reason Worboys ever became a cabbie.' The drama, written by Bafta-winning screenwriter Jeff Pope, focuses on how victims were failed by the police and justice system. Pope did not want to create a 'dark thriller' but rather expose the systemic failures. The show features characters Sarah and Laila, composite victims based on real testimonies, whose experiences with dismissive police officers reflect real accounts. 'I spent many months writing it in a state of almost perpetual anger,' Pope said.
The Fight for Justice
In 2018, when the Parole Board decided to release Worboys, Johnson played a key role in overturning that decision. She used her position as a Conservative Party communications director to lobby ministers, including Michael Gove, who urged then Justice Secretary David Gauke to intervene. Her actions sparked criticism within the party, contributing to her resignation later that year. Johnson said she hopes the drama serves as 'a wake-up call to the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the parole board,' noting that 'far too often, women and girls are failed by the very institutions meant to protect them.' The Independent has contacted Johnson for further comment.
Worboys's Crimes and Conviction
Reports of Worboys's attacks date back to 2002. He would pick up women in his taxi, claim to have won money, and offer spiked drinks laced with temazepam. Despite early reports, police failed to notice a pattern. He was arrested in 2007 but released without charge; one victim told The Guardian she was 'not believed' and 'talked down to.' In 2008, he was charged, and 85 women came forward. Johnson was one of 14 victims selected to give evidence at trial. 'I was representing a lot of girls who were not going to stand in court,' she later said. Worboys pleaded not guilty, with his defence portraying him as an 'oddball.' Johnson vehemently disagreed: 'He is more than a weirdo; he is very, very dangerous.' In March 2009, he was convicted of one count of rape, five sexual assaults, one attempted assault, and 12 charges of drugging, receiving an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of eight years. In 2019, he received two additional life sentences after admitting further charges.
A Continuing Campaign
Since her ordeal, Johnson has supported campaigns to keep dangerous offenders behind bars, including Robert Brown, who killed his wife Joanna Simpson. She recognised the feeling of powerlessness from her own experience but noted that 'sometimes against all odds, you can change things. Your voice doesn’t have to go unheard.' Believe Me begins on Sunday 10 May at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
