Former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick is being sentenced for raping and abusing women over 17 years.
He initially “relied on his charm to beguile and mislead” victims, before using his position to control them and stop them reporting his crimes.
“He was no doubt aware that they would conclude they would be unlikely to be believed if they were to come forward on their own and claim that a Metropolitan Police officer had raped them,” prosecutor Tom Little KC told Southwark Crown Court.
“It was a systematic catalogue of violent and brutal sexual offences perpetrated on multiple victims, whether he was in a controlling or coercive relationship with them or not or even if it was just a single occasion. The reality was that it did not matter who the victim was.”
Carrick, now 48, has pleaded guilty to 49 offences, which represent more than 70 instances of serious sexual offending.
They include 24 anal rapes, five vaginal rapes, 19 oral rapes and other sexual assaults, many of which were committed “during controlling and coercive and relationships”.
Scotland Yard has admitted failing to identify an “escalating pattern” of abuse towards women by Carrick, leaving him free to target more victims.
Carrick was allowed to remain in Britain’s largest force despite police recording nine incidents, including rape and violent assault, because there was no prosecution or disciplinary action.
No disciplinary action has been taken against officers in the Director of Professional Standards who repeatedly kept Carrick in his job, or colleagues who failed to raise concerns about his conduct, despite nicknaming him “b*****d Dave”.
2000
Metropolitan Police investigate a woman’s allegations of malicious communications and burglary. There was no arrest, and no further action.
2001
Carrick joins the Metropolitan Police, passes vetting despite the previous investigation and becomes a response officer in the borough Merton.
2002
During Carrick’s probation period, the Met investigates a former partner’s allegations of harassment and assault. No arrest was made and the report was not referred to the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards to consider disciplinary action.
2003
Carrick rapes a victim after meeting her in a bar and telling her he was the “safest person that she could be with” because he was a police officer. The attack was extremely violent and Carrick put what appeared to be a black handgun to her head after she tried to fight him off. She was raped several times and sustained multiple, serious injuries. The woman went to A&E and told a nurse a police officer had raped her, but the nurse said that “it might not go to court but that as she was young she might be better to try to put it behind her and move on”. The woman did not report the attack to police at the time.
2004
Carrick rapes a woman at his flat in Tooting. She told him to stop and that she was in pain. The woman did not tell anyone what had happened and reported the rape in 2021.
Carrick is “involved in a domestic incident” and Metropolitan Police officers respond. No criminal allegations were made and he was not arrested. There was no referral to the Directorate of Professional Standards for potential disciplinary action. It is unclear if the incident relates to any of the known victims, or another woman.
2005
Carrick’s role moves from Merton to the London borough of Barnet. Around this time, he completes Metropolitan Police training on dealing with domestic abuse incidents.
2008
Carrick sexually assaults another woman.
2009
Carrick rapes a woman multiple times and she does not report the attacks because she thought she would not be believed. Carrick “brandished a knife” at her and police were called. Hertfordshire Constabulary officers responded to the report but made no arrest. Carrick hid the knife when they arrived and the victim told them they had “just had an argument”. The Metropolitan Police said Carrick’s supervisors were informed but there was no “formal referral”.
2009
Carrick assaulted another woman. The woman had been “upset and crying” over the breakdown of a previous relationship and Carrick took her to his house under the pretence of allowing her to stay in a spare bedroom. He attacked the woman but she managed to push him off and run outside. The victim said she decided not to call the police because “as he was a police officer she doubted anyone would do anything if she made a complaint”.
2009
Carrick assaults and tries to rape a woman after offering her a place to stay. He “dragged her” into his bed after she tried to share with a female friend and attacked her.
Carrick invited a woman back to his house and violently attempted to rape her. She fled the house when he went to the bathroom and Carrick rang a taxi after “telling her he needed to get some sleep as he was on duty at 6am”.
Carrick transfers into Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, becomes an armed guard at parliamentary, government and diplomatic premises.
2015
Carrick rapes a woman after approaching her online and telling her he was a Metropolitan Police officer. The woman did not realise she had been raped because she had agreed to a different form of sexual contact, and “did not feel like she could report the matter as he was a police officer”.
2016
Carrick meets a woman online. He became more and more aggressive and admitted raping the woman at least six times, and subjecting her to coercive and controlling behaviour. Carrick used cameras in his home to watch her while he was at work.
Carrick becomes an initial suspect in a Hampshire Police investigation following an allegation of harassment. There was no arrest and the investigation was closed. A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: “We received a report of stalking in 2016 which named David Carrick as a suspect. Following a full and thorough review of the evidence available, the investigation found he was not responsible for the alleged offence and therefore no further action was taken.”
2017
Thames Valley Police officers speak to Carrick after he was ejected from a nightclub in Reading for being drunk. No arrest, but there was no referral to Met.
Carrick meets a woman on a night out, when he was with other police officers. He initially approached the woman and “said he was going to marry her”. Prosecutors said Carrick “controlled who she saw, what she did, what she wore, what she spent money on and what she ate” as he did with his previous victim, calling the woman “his whore” and “his prostitute”. He threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work issue firearm saying “remember I am the boss”. Carrick admitted raping the woman 20 times, falsely imprisoning her on at least 10 occasions, sexually assaulting her and controlling or coercive behaviour.
2018
He meets another woman on a dating website. Carrick told her that he was a police officer before they met. He raped her at her home before she fell down the stairs and fled.
Carrick met another woman through a website and went on a date. He admitted orally raping the woman three times and committing multiple humiliating sexual assaults.
2019
Hertfordshire Police receive an allegation that Carrick grabbed a woman by the neck during a domestic incident. There was no further action and although the matter was referred to the Met, Carrick was only “given words of advice in relation to informing his chain of command about off duty incidents”. The force found no case to answer in relation to misconduct.
2020
Carrick meets another victim through a dating website and exerted control over the woman’s life. He admitted raping her six times, sexually assaulting her three times and controlling or coercive behaviour.
2021
Carrick was arrested by Hertfordshire Constabulary following a rape allegation. But the case was dropped in August 2021 after the victim decided not to proceed. Carrick later admitted the offence. The Met put Carrick on restricted duties but after the investigation was stopped, determined “he had no case to answer in relation to any misconduct matters” and lifted work restrictions in September.
Hertfordshire Constabulary arrests Carrick for rape a second time and he is charged.
