EXCLUSIVE: High-risk offenders like John Worboys were NOT released from Category A prisons as Parole

CAGED: The decision to free John Worboys was overturned

SIX other high-risk prisoners, reportedly released from Category A prisons a year before the Parole Board agreed to free Black Cab Rapist John Worboys, were never actually let out, it has emerged.

Parole Board chiefs argued in the High Court earlier this year that, although unusual, the release of high-risk offenders like Worboys, 61, directly from maximum security prisons on to the streets had successfully happened before.

During the judicial review, which blocked the sexual predator's release in March, the Parole Board produced figures saying that in 2016/17 six Category A high-risk offenders had been released straight from Category A prison back into the community.

Category A prisons have the most security as they mainly house the country's worst offenders, including terrorists, rapists and murderers.

The submission about six other high risk offenders being released ahead of Worboys was seen during the High Court case as a bid by parole bosses to justify their decision to release the pervert, believed to have sexually abused as many as 200 women, in the face of widespread public opposition.

SICK: John Worboy's rape kit to spike drinks which was seized by police

Details of the six prisoners said to have been released were not revealed, but the shock admission prompted a review by the Ministry of Justice to see if there had been any concerns since their rehabilitation.

The review has since fond the court was given wrong information by the Parole Board.

An MoJ spokesman said: "The review found that, in fact, no Category A prisoners were released directly from Category A prisons during that period or since. You will have to ask the Parole Board for the reason why the information was released.

"It was the case that non-Category A prisoners, who had been housed in Category A prisons were released."

The Parole Board insisted there had been no intention to mislead the court in a bid to bolster its case for releasing Worboys and said Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) was partly to blame.

A spokesman said: "The submission to the High Court on the number of offenders released from Category A prisons was made in good faith.

"We have a responsibility to the public and will not at any point share false information, or ‘misinformation’.

"We identified the six offenders in question to be residing in Category A prisons at the point of release using records held on our case management system.

"This system is shared with HMPPS and data on the categorisation of prisoners is recorded on it by HMPPS officials.

RESIGNED: Former Parole Board boss Nick Hardwick is grilled in Parliament

"However, the Parole Board could not be 100 per cent certain that the figures were up to date or complete, because records on the categorisation of prisoners are recorded and held by HMPPS. This was noted in the submission."

Parole Board chief Nick Hardwick was forced to resign in March after a number of Worboys' victims brought the successful challenge against his release.

Worboys offered his victims spiked drinks before carrying out sexual assaults with the help of a ‘rape kit’, including sleeping pills, condoms and gloves.

Police believe he could have more than 200 victims,

However, during his trial just fourteen women testified.

He was convicted at Croydon Crown Court in March 2009 of one count of rape, five counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted assault and 12 counts of drugging.

He was jailed for sexually assaulting passengers in his taxi in 2007 and 2008 and sentenced to an 'indefinite' term with a minimum of eight years behind bars.

Worboys was told by his legal team this week not to reaply for parole until 2020.

It emerged last week that Carrie Symonds, 30, the Parliamentary aide linked to Boris Johnson was an early victim of Worboys, aged just 19.