A new ITV drama, Believe Me, shines a light on the harrowing experience of Carrie Johnson, then known as Carrie Symonds, who was drugged by John Worboys, the so-called 'black cab rapist', in 2007. The 19-year-old student accepted a cheap cab ride from Worboys in Chelsea, who claimed he lived nearby. Once inside, he offered her champagne, which she poured away fearing it was spiked, before agreeing to a shot of vodka. She later struggled to recall events and could barely walk when she arrived home.
Years later, as a senior Conservative Party press officer, Johnson played a key role in the campaign to overturn the Parole Board's decision to release Worboys in 2018. The board later refused parole for a second time, a decision Johnson described as a relief, stating that 'women and girls across Britain are safer as a result'. Screenwriter Jeff Pope, who created the drama, noted that Johnson's story shows how 'the woman will come back and haunt you'.
The series focuses not only on Johnson's ordeal but also on two other victims, Sarah and Laila, whose names and details have been changed to protect their identities. Pope spent months in 'a state of almost perpetual anger' writing the script, based on real testimonies and discussions with the women. He aimed to highlight how the victims were failed by the police and justice system, rather than turning the story into a thriller.
Johnson has been supportive of the project, meeting Pope at her Oxfordshire home. She hopes the drama will serve as 'a wake-up call to the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the parole board', noting that women are often let down by the very institutions meant to protect them.
