A British taxi driver convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting women passengers was jailed indefinitely today.
John Worboys (51), who police fear could be one of Britain's most prolific sex attackers, was told at Croydon Crown Court he would serve a minimum of eight years.
He was found guilty last month of assaulting 12 women during an 18-month period in London.
Many of his victims were young women who had been drinking at bars and clubs at trendy night spots in the capital.
The cabbie offered them champagne spiked with powerful sedatives to celebrate a fictional lottery win, leaving them unable to defend themselves. Detectives said they have since been contacted by other women who claim the former stripper and adult film star targeted them.
They said Worboys is the prime suspect in at least 85 attacks in the London and Dorset areas dating as far back as 2002.
Senior officers said they will interview Worboys in prison after his sentencing in an attempt to clear up dozens of unsolved sex crimes.
The handling of inquiries into serious sex attacks by the Metropolitan Police has been severely criticised since his conviction.
Police in Plumstead, south east London, missed a key opportunity to end his offending when they arrested him in July 2007 over an attack on a 19-year-old student.
It emerged during the trial that detectives did not act on the incriminating results of toxicology tests that found suspicious drugs in the victim's blood.
They also failed to search his Rotherhithe home or examine his vehicle to double-check his story.
Several officers face disciplinary action after an inquiry was launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The case of a second sex attacker, Kirk Reid, who stalked women in south west London, raised further difficult questions about police investigations.
Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson joined London mayor Boris Johnson earlier today to launch a new strategy to tackle violence against women.
Sir Paul admitted he is concerned by the case but added that lessons could be learned from every policing operation.
He said: "I've got to be very careful because there is an IPCC investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Worboys case.
"There are concerning aspects of that case, quite clearly, but there is no job in life where we shouldn't be learning lessons."
PA