The mother of a serial rapist who worked in the Metropolitan Police for more than two decades said she raised concerns about serious allegations against him when he was a teenager.
Jean Carrick described her son as “normal-ish,” adding he did “fairly well” in school and had many girlfriends as a young man.
But their relationship broke down after an allegation was made about him, although she does not go into detail about what he was accused of.
“After that, he changed,” Ms Carrick told the Guardian. “He just sort of kept himself to himself and away from the family.
“And that’s when I had my two other children. I didn’t know this until recently, but my other son told me: ‘He’s a horrible man. He used to kick me on the back of the legs.’”
Ms Carrick said her son would bring home girlfriends when they lived in Durrington, but “there were so many of them I didn’t bother asking about them in the end”.
The 48 year-old was sacked by the Metropolitan Police at a misconduct hearing after he admitted on Monday to 49 charges, totalling 71 sexual offences with 24 rapes, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020 - all committed during his career in the Met.
He started his campaign of abuse before joining up, with Scotland Yard investigating him in 2000 for allegedly harassing and burgling a former partner but then letting him join the force a year later. He was only suspended after being arrested following a second rape complaint in October 2021.
Mrs Carrick said her son cut off all contact with her about 15 years ago.
In their final encounter, Carrick took her out to breakfast but soon became angry that his half-brother was “giving her grief” on the phone, she explained.
He took the phone and began shouting “I’m Mr Plod. I’m a policeman so don’t f**k me around,” before running out of the restaurant and was never again seen by the family, she told the Guardian.
“I just don’t know why he’s done it,” she added. “Now he’s lost everything. He’s going to lose a lot – the Met police, everything.”
Met assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe assessed the harm caused by Carrick's misconduct as “critically high” and branded his crimes “horrific and sickening.”
She said the reaction to his crimes shows how his conduct has “gravely undermined” confidence in the police.
“The public of Greater London expect police officers to uphold the law and protect women from violence. PC Carrick did the opposite,” she said.
Ms Rolfe said the case had caused public harm, particularly to women and girls who may be less likely to “come forward and report they have been the victims of criminal offences.”
Rishi Sunak opened Tuesday's Cabinet meeting by telling ministers that “everyone would have been appalled by the crimes of David Carrick”.
According to a readout of the meeting, the prime minister “said the case undermines public confidence in the police which is essential for them to do their jobs".
“The prime minister said people like Carrick should never have been a police officer and that we need to see real change quickly.”
