Carrie Johnson's Harrowing Taxi Ordeal to Feature in ITV's True Crime Drama on John Worboys
Carrie Johnson, the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will be depicted in an upcoming true crime television drama focusing on serial rapist John Worboys. The programme, titled Believe Me, revisits the terrifying incident from 2007 when Mrs Johnson, then aged 19, was spiked in Worboys' London taxi. Actress Miriam Petche, known for her role in Industry, has been cast to portray Mrs Johnson in the ITV production.
A Call for Institutional Reform and Cultural Change
Speaking about the forthcoming drama, Mrs Johnson expressed her hope that it will serve as a wake-up call to key institutions including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the parole board. "Far too often, women and girls are failed by the very institutions meant to protect them," she stated. "The treatment of the victims in this case was truly shameful. Reform matters but what we urgently need above all is a profound shift in culture."
Mrs Johnson emphasised the courage required for victims to come forward, asserting that they must be treated with seriousness and respect, with every effort made to ensure justice is delivered.
The Chilling Details of the 2007 Incident
Mrs Johnson, now 37, is believed to have been the youngest victim of the prolific sex offender. The harrowing event occurred after a night out on the King's Road, when Worboys picked her up and offered spiked vodka. In the drama, acclaimed actor Daniel Mays will portray Worboys, who became infamous as the Black Cab Rapist.
Written by Jeff Pope and expected to air later this spring, the show will also feature actress Aimee-Ffion Edwards from Slow Horses. At the time of the incident, Mrs Johnson was in her first year at Warwick University, working as a media consultant and charity advisor. She has since had four children with the former Conservative Prime Minister.
A Night of Deception and Danger
After waiting at a bus stop in west London, Worboys offered to drive her home for just £5, claiming he lived nearby. He then told her he had won money at a casino and offered champagne to celebrate. "Had he asked if I had wanted a drink, I would have politely declined but instead he asked: 'Will you celebrate with me?' This was much harder to refuse. It would have felt rude to say no," Mrs Johnson recalled in 2018.
She poured the champagne away when he wasn't looking, unaware it was spiked. Worboys later stopped the cab, pretending to need the toilet, and was gone for ten minutes—a delay Mrs Johnson later realised was him waiting for drugs to take effect. When they didn't, he pressured her into taking a shot of vodka, which she reluctantly accepted.
The Aftermath and Lingering Uncertainty
"After I drank the vodka I can hardly remember a thing. I don't remember if he got back into the front of the cab straight away or not," she said. "I think he did. I hope more than anything that he did." She managed to get home but collapsed "like a rag doll" in front of her mother, then crawled into the bathroom and became violently ill, with her head spinning so severely she told her mother she wanted to die.
It wasn't until six months later, upon reading about a black cab driver arrested for raping numerous women, that Mrs Johnson "froze" and knew it was him. "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," she reflected. "But I will never truly know for sure what happened after he drugged me."
Legal Proceedings and Victim Advocacy
Mrs Johnson was one of nearly 100 women who came forward to police and one of 14 selected to testify in court, choosing to waive her anonymity. Worboys, now known as John Radford, was convicted in 2009 for attacks on 12 women. In 2019, he was convicted again for four further attacks after additional victims came forward following public outcry over a Parole Board ruling that he was safe to be freed.
The drama aims to highlight the systemic failures and the ongoing need for cultural transformation within institutions tasked with protecting vulnerable individuals.
