Victims condemn decision to release Britain's 'taxi rapist'

LONDON – British prosecutors are under pressure to explain why a former London taxi driver suspected of assaulting dozens of women is being freed after less than a decade in prison.

John Worboys was convicted in 2009 of raping or sexually assaulting 12 women over an 18-month period. He gave the victims champagne laced with sedatives before assaulting them in his cab.

Police have said Worboys, now 60, may have assaulted more than 100 women.

At sentencing, Worboys was told he would not be let out of prison until he no longer posed a threat to women. Britain's Parole Board announced this week that a panel had approved his release.

Kim Harrison of law firm Slater Gordon, which represented several victims, told the BBC Saturday that the women felt "betrayed and devastated."