Black cab rapist John Worboys will stay in prison after the Parole Board reversed an earlier decision that he should be released.

Worboys, who was convicted of 19 assaults on 12 women in 2008, was granted release in January when the board decided he no longer posed any risk to the public.

But the high court in March ordered the board to carry out a “fresh determination” into the case after two of his victims protested.

The Parole Board’s chairman at the time, Nick Hardwick, was forced to resign after justice secretary David Gauke told him his position was “untenable”.

Worboys, 61, had been jailed indefinitely in 2009 with a minimum term of eight years after being convicted of offences including rape, sexual assault and administering a substance with intent.

On Monday, the parole board said its reassessment had been carried out and the rapist would remain jailed.

A spokeswoman for the board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board gave a negative decision in the parole review of John Worboys following a paper hearing in October 2018.

“Under current legislation Mr Worboys will be eligible for a further review within two years. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.”

Separately the Crown Prosecution Service has been passed a further full file of evidence by police on Worboys relating to new allegations from 1997 to 2007 including sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence.

A spokesman for the CPS said: “The CPS has received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police following its investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual assault. A charging decision will be made in due course.”