The crimes were committed for almost twenty years. A London policeman acknowledged on Monday a total of 24 rapes and sexual assaults against twelve women. David Carrick, 48, arrested in October 2021, was part of the capital police unit responsible for protecting Parliament and diplomatic representations, within the Metropolitan Police (Met). He raged for seventeen years, between 2003 and 2020, terrorizing his victims by promoting his position.
On Monday, this officer admitted to 4 rapes during an appearance in London, adding to 20 others he admitted in December and could not at the time be mentioned due to ongoing proceedings. In total he admitted 49 offenses, including 24 rapes, on twelve women. He also notably pleaded guilty to nine sexual assaults, two attempted rapes and three kidnappings.
An “incredibly manipulative” man
“This is one of the most shocking cases the prosecution has had to deal with involving a serving police officer,” said Jaswant Narwal, the head of the prosecution. “The scale is appalling,” she added.
“Carrick was persuasive, but also incredibly manipulative. When first meeting his victims, he charmed them by telling them that he would try to control them. And he would often use his position as a police officer to stop them from leaving or report him, suggesting it would be their word against his and they would not be believed,” Jaswant Narwal explained.
The specter of Sarah Everard’s assassination
“On behalf of the Metropolitan Police,” Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said she was “sincerely sorry.” “We have missed opportunities, over time, to identify his abusive behavior. (…) We are very sorry that he continued to be a police officer. He abused the power he had as a police officer,” she also said.
David Carrick was charged in October 2021 a few days after another policeman from the same unit, Wayne Couzens, was sentenced to life imprisonment. In March 2021, Couzens raped and killed a Londoner, Sarah Everard, whom he handcuffed during a false arrest, before abducting her. The case had sown terror in the United Kingdom. Thousands of women had confided on social networks that they had been threatened or attacked in the public space, calling on politicians to act.