‘Outcry’ as taxi rapist given parole

The decision to release sex offender John Worboys is the lead story for most papers, with the front page headline in the Daily Express highlighting the “outrage” of his victims and commentators at the Parole Board.

Many papers use their editorials to make clear their astonishment at the decision to release the “black cab rapist”, who was jailed in 2009.

“If ever a sex monster deserved to rot in jail for life, it was John Worboys. Yet shamefully and incredibly he is out after eight years,” the Sun’s leader says.

His sentence was” criminally short”, according to the Daily Mirror.

For the Daily Mail, the case “raises questions for every level of the justice system” and victims “deserve answers”.

A crackdown proposed by MPs on disposable coffee cups is met with approval by several papers.

What worked with bags should work with cups, too, the Times says.

Some of funds reaped a “significant windfall”, the FT says, after the Debenhams share price collapsed in response to its poor sales over the festive period.

It says Westminster and defence industry officials have said the plan is for the security elements to be published as soon as possible while decisions on the armed forces will be “pushed back until much later in the year”.

The paper says the move follows a backlash partly involving the new defence secretary, Gavin Williamson to the prospect of any cuts that would undermine the “already stretched military”. The government says it will not comment on speculation.

A leader of Britain’s freemasons has been moved to write to the Guardian and the Times to reject previously reported claims that his organisation had prevented reform in the police.

Rather than blocking the advance of women and ethnic minorities, as was alleged, Dr David Staples said the reality was that masons themselves are “now quite openly discriminated against”.

Finally, the Daily Express and Daily Mail are among the papers to report the £100 charge being levied by a vicar in Kent on brides who are late to the altar.

Canon John Corbyn, of St Mary’s, in the village of Thurnham, gets couples to hand over a cheque for that amount prior to the service.

If the bride arrives within 10 minutes of the allotted time they get it back along with their marriage certificate.

“It seems reasonable to me,” Canon Corbyn tells the Express.

He also points out that having introduced the system, the “vast majority” of services now run to schedule.