Long before becoming a prominent figure on the British political scene and marrying former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Carrie Johnson (then Symonds) was a teenager who found herself at the centre of one of the UK’s most notorious criminal investigations.
As ITV’s new drama, Believe Me, details, the hunt for John Worboys – known as the ‘Black Cab Rapist’ – dragged on for many years, with police estimating there could be around 200 survivors in total.
Here, we look at the real-life bravery of one woman who waived her right to anonymity to help ensure justice was served.
What happened to Carrie Johnson in the back of John Worboys' cab?
On 26 July 2007, Carrie was a 19-year-old student heading home from a night out in Fulham when she was picked up by John Worboys at a bus stop. His tactics when preying on vulnerable women were chillingly consistent: he would tell passengers he had either just won money in a casino or by playing the lottery, then offered them a glass of 'celebratory' champagne – laced with sedatives.
Carrie later recalled the experience with terrifying clarity, describing how Worboys approached her at a bus stop and offered her a lift for the minimal change she had, then asked Carrie if she would celebrate with him – which she recalled felt 'ruder' to turn down than if he had just asked her to join him for a drink.
Initially, Carrie poured the champagne on the floor in the back of his cab. "Not long after he’d given me the drink, Worboys said he needed to stop to go to the loo," she said in The Times, when recalling the incident years later. "I thought that was a bit strange but again I didn’t feel I could complain. I now realise he was waiting for the drugs in the champagne to kick in.
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"When he returned, he got into the back of the cab and asked if I wanted another drink. I told him I didn’t and needed to get home because my mother would be worried. He kept telling me I must be 'good with my alcohol' and poured me some vodka. I told him I didn’t want it but he kept pushing me."
After sipping the second drink Worboys offered, Carrie says her memory became hazy and she lost control of her body, later falling to the floor "like a ragdoll" when she eventually arrived home.
The memory of that night haunted her until Worboys was eventually arrested and his methods were made public, "Six months later I opened a newspaper and read that a black taxi driver had been arrested, accused of raping women after having pretended to win money at a casino, giving his passengers spiked champagne," Carrie recalls. "I froze. All the blood left my cheeks. I knew it was him."
After reporting what had happened to the police, Carrie learnt she was one of dozens of women with a similar story – and following an investigation, her mobile phone number was found in Worboys' home. This discovery meant prosecutors wanted Carrie to be a key witness in his trial, something she says she felt angry about having to do on the basis that if Worboys had pleaded guilty, the victims would have been spared having to appear in court.
Why did Carrie Johnson decide to waive her right to anonymity?
While most survivors of sexual assault choose to remain anonymous, a right protected by law, Carrie made the bold decision to go public in 2018 by writing a moving essay for The Times. She was also quoted and named in a BBC article in 2009, prior to being known through her links to the Conservative party and Boris Johnson.
In her essay, she detailed how she'll never know for sure what happened to her on the night that she met Worboys, "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."
By putting a face to the case, she helped garner public support for the dozens of women who had felt ignored by the police for years and drove home the message that Worboys was not an 'eccentric' but harmless figure.
Speaking of how Worboys acted during the trial, Carrie has said he showed little remorse: "He described his behaviour as 'banter' and insisted that the women accusing him of rape, who took to the stand in tears, shattered by the experience, had in fact wanted to have sex with him. It has been reported that to this day he still accepts no guilt."
How did she help keep John Worboys behind bars in 2018?
The story didn't end with Worboys' conviction in 2009. In 2018, the UK was shocked when the Parole Board announced that Worboys was to be released after serving just 10 years. Carrie, alongside fellow survivors, was instrumental in the legal fightback.
She was a key supporter of the landmark judicial review that challenged the Parole Board’s decision. Speaking on the terrifying prospect of his release, she stressed how at risk she and others would feel with Worboys back on the street, especially given that he would know where some of them live.
The High Court eventually overturned the release decision, a historic moment for victims' rights in the UK.
What has Carrie Johnson said about the police investigation?
The ITV drama Believe Me focuses heavily on the "institutional skepticism" victims faced. Carrie has been vocal about the fact that many women reported Worboys years before he was finally caught, only to be dismissed.
She has described the initial police response as a "massive failing," noting that if the authorities had listened to the early victims, dozens of subsequent attacks, including her own, could potentially have been prevented.
Where is Carrie Johnson now?
Today, Carrie uses her platform to advocate for more rigorous parole in cases of domestic abuse and violence against women. She has frequently spoken out against the "sitting duck" feeling that victims endure when a perpetrator is up for early release.
She also served as a consultant on the programme, meeting with its creators, to ensure it struck a sensitive tone and remained accurate.
In a statement shared via ITV, Carrie said: "I hope Believe Me serves as a wake-up call to the police, the CPS, and the parole board. Far too often, women and girls are failed by the very institutions meant to protect them.
"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. It takes enormous courage for women to come forward. They must know that when they do, they will be treated seriously and with respect, and that every effort will be made to ensure justice is done."
Believe Me starts on ITV on 10 May at 9pm
