Worboys (pic in a police mug shot from 2009) was jailed indefinitely, with a minimum term of eight years, after being found guilty of attacks on 12 women over 18 months involving rape, assaults and drugging
John Worboys has received more than £166,000 in legal aid since his arrest, MailOnline can reveal today, as officials refused to say how much his recent parole bid has cost taxpayers.
The 60-year-old stripper and adult film star-turned-cabbie was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a minimum term of eight years, after being found guilty of attacks on 12 women over 18 months involving rape, assaults and drugging.
In January, the Parole Board announced he would be released on licence after less than a decade behind bars, despite warnings that he could still pose a risk to women and be responsible for 100 attacks.
The Ministry of Justice said it would ‘no longer confirm nor deny’ whether Worboys’ successful parole bid – which is now subject to a legal challenge – had seen more legal aid money paid out.
But officials did release figures under Freedom of Information laws which revealed Worboys has racked up a bill of £166,554 since his arrest in July 2007.
The total includes £7,347 in solicitor costs while being held in police custody and £159,207 for his Crown Court trial in 2009 – with £85,704 spent on solicitors and the rest on barristers.
MailOnline also requested the total cost of legal aid paid to Worboys for his parole appeal, but the MoJ said it would neither ‘confirm nor deny’ if it held the information.
In January, the Parole Board announced Worboys (pic outside the High Court on February 7) would be released on licence after less than a decade behind bars
A High Court appeal against the Parole Board’s decision to release Worboys, which was crowdfunded by two of his victims, is set for March 13.
A request for more legal aid to fund Worboys’ defence for the case has been turned down because of the luxury seaside hideaway he still owns, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The £300,000-plus flat, where he previously starred in amateur porn films with a friend, is situated in Park Pine Mansions, Dorset.
It is unclear whether ownership of the property would have seen Worboys fail a means test introduced for legal aid claimant in Crown Court cases, which was introduced a year after he was convicted.
The Ministry of Justice said it would ‘no longer confirm nor deny’ whether Worboys’ successful parole bid – which is now subject to a legal challenge – had seen more legal aid money paid out. Pic outside court in 2009
Defendants can now be made to pay both a substantial monthly contribution towards their legal costs from income and a further contribution from capital, should they be found guilty.
The two victims who are challenging the Parole Board also appeared in court today to answer an appeal by the Metropolitan Police to deny them compensation for failing to properly investigate Worboys.
They successfully won the appeal and were allowed to keep compensation awards of £22,250 and £19,000 respectively.
Harriet Wistrich, a solicitor for the two victims, said the cost of the case had run into the millions.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Anyone facing a Crown Court trial is eligible for legal aid, subject to a strict means test.
‘Depending on their means, applicants for criminal legal aid can be required to pay contributions up to the entire cost of the defence.’
The taxi in which Worboys fed drugged alcohol to his victims before sexually assaulting them, seen in an undated image