UK Edition
M25 rapist considered for parole a week after board orders release of taxi driver John Worboys
M25 rapist Antoni Imiela is being considered for parole, it has emerged a week after the decision to free taxi driver John Worboys.
Imiela, 63, was jailed in 2004 and given seven life sentences for the rape of nine women and girls, eight of which occurred in just one year.
But it emerged on Wednesday night that a parole board is set to meet to discuss his release, 14 years on from his detention.
The railway worker, who was born in West Germany to a Polish father and German mother, emigrated with his family to the UK at the age of seven. He became known as the M25 Rapist because many of his attacks happened near the motorway, as his crimes took place in Surrey, Kent, Berkshire, London, Hertfordshire and even Birmingham.
In one assault, he telephoned the mother of the victim to boast about raping her daughter.
Sources told The Sun a date for a full hearing, which will be held in secret, is likely to be set by March. Another told them: “It’s inconceivable that he should be freed.”
A Parole Board spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Ministry of Justice has referred the case of Antoni Imiela for a parole review.
"The review is following the standard six-month process for all indeterminate sentence prisoners and will be reviewed on the papers in the first instance. The review may be concluded on the papers or alternatively it may be directed to an oral hearing.”
The release of Worboys, 60, who is thought to be one of Britain’s worst sex offenders, came about after a parole board found he was no longer dangerous and ordered his release.
He was jailed for life in 2009 when he was convicted of 19 offences and ordered to serve a minimum sentence of eight years.