The police watchdog is investigating 10 current and former officers over the handling of complaints against serial Met Police rapist David Carrick, which could have stopped him earlier.
Carrick, 48, was jailed for more than 30 years after being accused of 85 offences in total, including more than 20 rapes against 12 victims between 2003 and 2020 while he was a serving officer in an elite and armed unit.
Carrick, who served in the army before joining the Met, previously pleaded guilty to 49 charges relating to a dozen women.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said five serving Metropolitan Police Service officers – a detective constable, detective sergeant, detective inspector and two chief inspectors – were told this month that they are under investigation for gross misconduct.
A former Met officer, now at the City of London Police force, and two retired Met officers – a former police constable and former superintendent – are also under investigation for gross misconduct.
A serving Met staff member and a Met police constable will be quizzed for alleged misconduct.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “After carrying out an initial scoping review of police handling of allegations against Carrick earlier this year, we made the decision to launch investigations into multiple alleged failings of police officers and staff who assessed and/or investigated allegations made against him.
“If these matters had been adequately progressed, Carrick could potentially have faced gross misconduct proceedings and been dismissed from the police service years before he was eventually arrested.
“While we’ve notified a number of officers that they are under investigation, this does not mean that disciplinary proceedings will automatically follow.
“At the end of each investigation, we will determine whether any individuals should face disciplinary proceedings.
Then-Met Pc Carrick was unmasked as one of the UK’s worst sex offenders last year when he was convicted of 49 offences including 24 rapes (Hertfordshire Police/PA)— (PA Media)
“From our scoping review, we’ve also identified a number of learning opportunities for individual forces as well as national recommendations which we are currently progressing.”
During his sentencing in February, the judge said Carrick’s conviction represented “a spectacular downfall for a man charged with upholding the law”.
Ms Cheema-Grubb said: “Behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworthiness, you took monstrous advantage of women drawn into intimate relationships with you.
“You brazenly raped and sexually assaulted many women, some you barely knew.”
Continuing her sentencing remarks, Ms Cheema-Grubb told Carrick he showed an “astonishing degree of moral corruption”.
Carrick’s crimes, which came to light following the rape, kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens – another Met officer – raised fresh questions about the force’s handling of complaints and internal processes.
The Met was forced to apologise and admit Carrick should have been dealt with earlier after it emerged he came to police attention over nine incidents before he was prosecuted, including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment between 2000 and 2021.
Carrick abused several victims at his home in Stevenage— (Hertfordshire Constabulary)
Carrick was reported on multiple occasions by ex-partners who accused him of abuse. Some of the complaints were investigated by the Met but no further action was ever taken against him.
During his trial, jurors heard how Carrick locked two of his victims in a small cupboard under the stairs of his home in Stevenage.
Others were urinated on or attacked with a belt.
Images submitted to the court showed the cupboard, which was only about 3 or 4ft high and a few feet wide.
In the case of one of Carrick’s victims, the former Met Police officer locked her in the cupboard for ordering a jumper he did not give her permission to purchase.
As a punishment, he locked her in the cupboard naked and would not let her out even when she began having a panic attack.
Cupboard Carrick locked some of his victims inside— (Hertfordshire Constabulary/Met Police)
Prosecutors said Carrick showed a “complete disregard of women” and some of his victims were “relentlessly” manipulated, financially cut off and isolated from their friends as well as repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped. Others were women he met socially but still degraded and sexually abused.
Victims described how Carrick would make derogatory comments, calling them his slave or a whore. He called them “fat”, wouldn’t allow them to eat, controlled where they slept, watched them on cameras in his house.
Responding to the IOPC update on Wednesday, a Met spokesperson said: “The Met wrote to the IOPC in January 2023 urging them to review our handling of all matters related to Carrick.
“The IOPC had previously determined that they would not review forces’ overall handling of cases unless evidence of misconduct on the part of individuals had already been identified.
“However, given the seriousness of Carrick’s offending and the understandable degree of public concern it caused, we were anxious that this position was reconsidered.
“We welcome the IOPC’s subsequent decision to carry out that review. In addition to organisational failings we had already acknowledged, it has now identified conduct matters for eight officers and a member of police staff in relation to their handling of investigations in 2002, 2016, 2019 and 2021.”
