A former Metropolitan Police officer who was unmasked as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders is set to be jailed for attacking a dozen women over an 18-year period.
The “truly sickening” crimes of David Carrick forced the Met to apologise after the then-serving officer admitted 24 counts of rape, as well as charges of sexual assault, controlling and coercive behaviour and false imprisonment.
The 48-year-old is due to be sentenced over the course of two days at Southwark Crown Court – a process Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said would provide more detail about Carrick’s “cruel and abusive” offences.
The case prompted British prime minister Rishi Sunak to promise police reforms after it emerged the force was informed of nine incidents – including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment – between 2000 and 2021.
Carrick, who joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings.
Police chiefs across England and Wales have since been asked to have all officers checked against national police databases by the end of March.
Carrick, who served in the Army before joining the Met, admitted 49 criminal charges, but some of the attacks are multiple incident counts, meaning they relate to more than 80 sexual offences, including at least 48 rapes against 12 women.
He will also be sentenced for nine counts of sexual assault, five counts of assault by penetration, three counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, and three counts of false imprisonment.
Carrick’s offences also include two counts of attempted rape, one count of attempted sexual assault by penetration, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of indecent assault.
He 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.
On September 4 2020, Carrick told her he was a firearms officer nicknamed “Bastard Dave”, showed her his warrant card and boasted of meeting famous people, including then-prime minister Boris Johnson, in the course of his work, a court previously heard.
The first victim of his victims to reveal her identity, Darciane Nunes Da Silva, told the Sunday People she wants Carrick to spend the next 40 years behind bars.
Carrick’s crimes are set to form part of the independent inquiry looking at the murder of Sarah Everard, who was raped and strangled to death by then serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
On Sunday, the Met’s Assistant Commissioner repeated the apology to Carrick’s victims, saying the force “let them down” and the sex predator “should not have been a police officer”.
In a statement, Ms Gray said: “I am truly sorry for the harm and devastation he has caused them.
“We let them down and we failed to identify a man in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service who carried out the most awful offences.
“He should not have been a police officer.”
Ms Gray added: “In the weeks since he pleaded guilty, we have spoken about our genuine and urgent commitment to address the systemic failings that have been identified by our own reviews, by those of His Majesty’s Inspectorate and Baroness Casey.
“We are determined to root out those who corrupt our integrity. That work is already under way.”
Carrick, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb in a two-day hearing, beginning on Monday.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/, or visit Rape Crisis Help.
In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
