UK ministers have backed efforts to strip serial rapist David Carrick of his pension from the Metropolitan Police.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to seek the forfeiture of the state-funded pension, reported to be £22,000 (€25,000) a year, after Carrick admitted 49 offences against a dozen women.
UK home secretary Suella Braverman said she supports the move and will consider Mr Khan’s application, arguing Carrick “should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long”.
Robert Jenrick, a minister in her department, said the subsequently sacked officer could be stripped of his pension because the offending was linked to his position in the capital’s police force.
However, Mr Khan does not have the powers to strip Carrick, 48, of the entirety of his pension and the former armed officer could still keep at least 35 per cent.
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) will submit a forfeiture request to Ms Braverman after Carrick’s sentencing next month.
Ms Braverman said: “David Carrick’s sickening crimes are a stain on the police and he should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long.
“I support the Mayor’s Office in pursuing the forfeiture of his pension. I will consider any application for a forfeiture certificate from Mopac.”
Pensions can only be blocked if the offending has been carried out in connection to their police service.
Mr Jenrick told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “There are very strong arguments for doing so as although some of this activity may have occurred outside of David Carrick’s exact role, it was linked to it.”
He added on Sky News: “This is one of the most egregious cases of police misconduct in the history of the Met, perhaps in the history of British policing. This disgusting individual should not benefit from his years serving in the Metropolitan Police.”
Home Office guidance states pension forfeiture can only be applied for when an officer has a conviction “committed in connection with their service as a member of a police force” and the offence has been certified by the Home Secretary as “liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service” or “gravely injurious to the interests of the state”.
Such applications are usually made after a police officer has committed a crime while on duty.
Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman on steps moving forward from the David Carrick case and how we must ensure there are robust processes in place to stop the wrong people from joining the police in the first place. pic.twitter.com/NZi4Tan4hX
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) January 17, 2023
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime will pursue pension forfeiture through an application to the Home Secretary as it is clear that Pc Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force.”
Court decisions have in the past determined an officer’s pension can only be forfeited by up to 65 per cent – the contributions that have been made by the police force, and not their own contributions.
Carrick was formally dismissed from the Met on Tuesday for gross misconduct after pleading guilty to a total of 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020.
He joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit in 2009.
