Content note: this article contains references to rape that readers may find upsetting.

A Metropolitan police officer who admitted to being a serial rapist who carried out more than 40 attacks against 12 women over the course of a 17-year period has today been sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. PC David Carrick, 48, received 36 life sentences after pleading guilty to 49 charges, comprising 85 offences, including multiple rapes. 

Reports state that Carrick showed no emotion as he was sentenced and judge Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb described the “irretrievable devastation in the lives of those you have abused”. The scale of the offences committed by Carrick, who carried out many of his attacks during his time with the Metropolitan police, makes him one of the worst sexual offenders in modern criminal history.  

Victims had described in court how they were raped, controlled and degraded by Carrick, who they feared was too “powerful” to be reported for his crimes.

Carrick admitted dozens of rapes, against 12 victims between 2003 and 2020, while he was a serving police officer, and was handed a sentence that means he cannot apply for parole until he has served at least 30 years in prison. However, Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid told the BBC in a statement that the verdict comes “17 years, 12 victims and at least 85 offences too late”.

“David Carrick told women they wouldn’t be believed, he threatened women with weapons he was licensed to carry due to his status as a police officer, he was protected by a culture that silenced victims,” added Ruth Davison, CEO of charity Refuge.

“That Carrick could remain a serving officer for so long whilst he perpetrated this gross abuse of power and horrific crimes against women, is terrifying. There were numerous opportunities where Carrick’s predatory behaviour was recorded and complaints were made. Every single one of them should have raised the alarm. But none of them were taken seriously and no action was taken. Carrick was able to continue in post and further abuse more and more women. He should have been stopped sooner.

“David Carrick was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison today, but this is not about one individual perpetrator, any officer accused of crimes of this magnitude against women and girls must be suspended and urgently investigated, not empowered to commit multiple crimes against multiple women over such a long time period.”

In response to the sentencing, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan paid tribute to the “bravery and courage” of Carrick’s victims, stating: “This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again. There can be no hiding place for those who abuse their position of trust and authority within the police.”

Earlier in the trial, the Met apologised after it emerged that Carrick had come to the attention of the police over nine incidents, including rape allegations, between 2000 and 2021. The Met’s lead for professionalism, assistant commissioner Barbara Gray, said Carrick’s crimes were “unprecedented in policing”.

“We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation,” she said. “We are truly sorry that Carrick was able to continue to use his role as a police officer to prolong the suffering of his victims.” 

Carrick was first suspended from his role within the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in October 2021, when he was charged with a single count of rape. He was met with further charges in November 2021.

At the hearing for the November charges, it was alleged that he had raped one woman he met on the dating app Tinder, falsely imprisoned another in a cupboard under the stairs and sexually assaulted three of the complainants by urinating on them.

He was then handed nine further charges in January 2022 and, in May last year, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised Hertfordshire constabulary to charge Carrick with three more counts of rape. He previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, but has since admitted to the majority of the crimes, most of which took place in Hertfordshire, where he lived.

Carrick has denied a further count of rape in September 2020 relating to a 13th woman, whose allegation triggered the investigation, and the Crown Prosecution Service decided it was not in the public interest to proceed to trial on the charge. 

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Moor of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who led the investigation into Carrick, said the “sheer number of offences” proved his “prolific and callous nature”, and said he expects more victims to come forward.

“Whilst he was not a man that stalked the streets scouting for victims – he invested time in developing relationships with women to sustain his appetite for degradation and control – the coercive nature of his offending undermined his victims in the most destructive way,” said Mr Moor.

“He thrived on humiliating his victims and cleverly used his professional position to intimate there was no point in them trying to seek help because they would never be believed.”

The 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line can be reached for free by calling 0808 500 2222 or visiting the Rape Crisis England & Wales website. If you need emergency help, call 999.

The 24-hour National Domestic Abuse helpline can also be contacted on 0808 2000 247 and further support can be accessed online via their website. 

Images: Getty