David Carrick, formerly an officer of the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police, admitted that he was a serial rapist and abuser of women for almost 20 years. The former Met Police officer was convicted for 49 charges connected to 85 offenses that affected 12 victims. He pled guilty to six charges in Southwark Crown Court, London on Monday, January 16th. He had previously pleaded guilty to 43 other charges in December 2022.
Heinous Crimes
According to reports, Carrick would be in relationships with most of the women he would abuse. He abused his victims for years, hashing out a variety of abuses that included emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Some of his victims said he abused his position as a Met Police officer to perpetrate his crimes and ensure they never publicized them. However, in October 2021, one of the victims got the courage to report Carrick’s crime at a Hertfordshire police station. Carrick lived, and hence committed some of his crimes, in Hertfordshire. The woman accused Carrick of raping her after their first date together, an allegation he denied in his first court appearance. Due to Carrick being a defendant in a case before a court, his name could be publicized and that would ultimately prove to be his downfall. The publicization of his name triggered several more women to come forward and accuse Carrick of committing a variety of different offenses against them.
The women accused the former Met Police officer of heinous crimes, dating back to 2003. Carrick displayed controlling, coercive, and violent behavior toward these women. They were told how to behave in several instances, told what to wear, eat, and where to sleep. He would imprison some of them. One woman said she would be kept inside a small cupboard underneath a staircase and would only come out when he said so. In some instances, the women were banned from interactions with other men and even with their children. According to the BBC, he also urinated on and raped some of the women. According to the Guardian, Carrick told one would that he could kill her “without leaving evidence.”
No Accountability
David Carrick had a history of crimes committed before and during his employment with the Metropolitan Police. Carrick joined the Met Police in 2001. Even though he passed the vetting process, he was allegedly implicated in offenses committed in 2000, one of them being burglary. In 2002, he was investigated by the police after he was accused of harassing and assaulting an ex-partner. No further action was taken against him by the Met Police. Carrick continuously found himself accused of domestic abuse, harassment, and assault in three different areas (Hertfordshire, Hampshire, and Thames Valley), with the police in those areas aware of the situations but not taking action against him. In 2009, Carrick was promoted and became a member of a special unit that was armed with guns and guarded the UK’s Houses of Parliament, government offices, and diplomatic missions. In 2017 and 2021, he continued working despite being accused of assault and rape. The Met Police were aware of the majority of these incidents and took no action despite publicly claiming that they stand for the protection of women.
Promises of Change
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley promised to make changes to the organization. “We have failed. And I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer,” he said. “We failed as investigators where we should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades. And as leaders, our mindset should have been more determined to root out such a misogynist.”
He continued, “I apologize to all of David Carrick’s victims. And I also want to say sorry to all of the women across London who feel we’ve let them down.”
David Carrick will be sentenced between February 6 and 7 and will be facing a substantial prison sentence.
