A former Metropolitan Police officer has been jailed for 30 years for attacking a dozen women in an "unrestrained campaign of rape and abuse" over an 18-year period.
David Carrick, 48, was unmasked as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders after he admitted to 24 counts of rape as well as charges of sexual assault, controlling and coercive behaviour and false imprisonment.
Following a two-day sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court, Carrick remained emotionless as Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb threw him behind bars for a minimum of three decades and 239 days.
Carrick's crimes were all carried out while serving with the force guarding sites including embassies and the Houses of Parliament, and completed training courses, including one on domestic abuse in 2005.
Carrick - who appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie - was told by the judge he was a "high risk" offender who posed a "grave danger" to the public.
Mrs continued: "Behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworthiness you took monstrous advantage of women."
She revealed Carrick had tried to kill himself but dismissed this, saying: “You were driven to try to commit suicide as a self-pitying reaction to the shame brought on you by these proceedings rather than remorse.”
Telling Carrick he'd shown an "astonishing degree of moral corruption" and abused the position of police constable, Justice Cheema-Grubb said "you behaved as if you were untouchable".
She said he was "bold and relentless" and acted on the trust that "no victim would overcome her shame and fear to report you".
Speaking to Carrick, she said: "For nearly two decades you were proved right.
"Now a combination of 12 women and your police colleagues acting on evidence have exposed you.
"You have lost your liberty, your job and your status. You have before you a difficult time in custody for many years."
She told Carrick that his victims remain traumatised after what he put them through.
The judge detailed the ordeal suffered by his first victim, who after being raped at gunpoint, was told by a nurse treating her injuries that Carrick's fellow officers would protect him if she complained.
Carrick showed "utter contempt" for another woman whom he shut naked into a small cupboard under his stairs, the judge continued.
"You drilled into her that you were the police and the law," she said.
The judge said of the women: "You have shaped their lives, deprived them of the ability to trust men and form relationships. They don't trust the police."
However, she hailed the women who came forward and reported Carrick. She said it was "remarkable" that one who was driven to come forward led to others.
She said: "Courage calls to courage everywhere and its voice cannot be denied".
Carrick worked at the Met from 2001 until he was sacked last month. In 2009, he became an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
He guarded sites including embassies and the Houses of Parliament, and completed a training course on domestic abuse in 2005.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opened the case on Monday morning listing all the charges the serial rapist had admitted to.
Mr Little said the case fell short of meriting a whole-life sentence - because he had not killed anyone and pleaded guilty - but called for a life sentence with a fixed minimum term. In the end Carrick received a total of 36 life terms.
The court heard how Carrick carried out a “catalogue of violent and brutal sexual offences… on multiple victims”.
The prosecutor said Carrick “humiliated his victims in a number of ways”.
Carrick remained emotionless with his head bowed and eyes closed while Mr Little recounted the extremely graphic nature of his crimes.
One woman told how he held a gun to her head and said he would be the last thing she saw.
Carrick had lured the woman to his flat saying he was the "safest person" she could be with because he was an officer but then threatened her with the weapon when she tried to leave.
In a victim impact statement, she said: "That night, I felt I had encountered evil. I honestly thought he was going to kill me that night.
"I felt lucky to be able to leave the next morning as I didn't believe I would be doing so. I felt so ashamed, dirty and sick."
Speaking about the victim’s ordeal, Mr Little said: “He asked her to sit beside him. She said no.
“He then got up and went to kiss her and again she said no. She told him that she wasn’t interested. He apologised and said sorry.
“They spoke for a while and then she said that she was going to go. She went for the door and tried to open it but she couldn’t do it."
Mr Little said Carrick held a black handgun to the victim’s head before telling her “you are not going” as he raped her.
Other women said they feared they would not be believed if they reported Carrick and no longer trusted the police after what he had done to them.
One of Carrick's victims was told by an A&E nurse that if she complained it "might not go to court".
Mr Little said the woman attended King’s College Hospital with external and internal injuries after being raped by Carrick.
In a victim statement read out by Mr Little, she detailed how she felt "lucky to be able to leave" the next morning.
"I walked down the road quickly and got on the Tube at Tooting Broadway. I later went to a phone box and called my doctor who advised me to go straight to the hospital.
"I distinctly remember standing in the room with the nurse and having them list my injuries and I felt ashamed, dirty and sick. I remember aching all over from the terrible things he did to me that night."
Carrick had been the subject of a string of police complaints when he raped a 37-year-old cleaner who he met on the Badoo dating app in 2018.
She said: "I don't trust the police any more. If anything went wrong I don't know whether I would want to call the police."
A woman who he raped 20 times said she was convinced the police would not investigate her complaint.
Her statement read: "I was too frightened to go to the police, as the defendant had drilled it into me that he was the police, he was the law and he owned me."
Another said she "couldn't see an escape" while he abused her.
The court heard how Carrick used his baton and handcuffs during attacks.
Carrick, who would drink two bottles of wine before going to work, was nicknamed B*****d Dave by colleagues. He attacked one woman while her 10-year-old daughter was having a sleepover.
Mr Little said: "She begged him not to do it as she knew her daughter and friends would hear. However, the defendant just carried on."
Carrick raped another partner on a camping trip while her parents slept in the tent next to them. And he sent an image of himself with a work-issue firearm to a victim, saying, "Remember I am the boss".
Mr Little told Southwark Crown Court: “He told her that she belonged to him and that she must obey him.
“He threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work-issue firearm saying ‘remember I am the boss’.
“He told her that she should obey him and that, if she did, he would give her an amazing life.”
A statement from Carrick's fifth victim read aloud in court detailed the devastating impact his crimes had on her life including how it "destroyed" her marriage and prompted her to drop four dress sizes and start to binge drink.
She also began to engage in overtly sexual behaviour, feeling it was the only way to take control of her feelings.
"All I wanted was to have friends and be liked. But I felt that the only way to do that was to have sexual relationships. I engaged in a sexual relationship with men and women that I didn’t want," she said.
"I would lie to my husband about what I was doing to people. I lived off adrenaline and nicotine and had a very short temper with my children and husband."
She added: "I truly thought my husband and kids would be better off without me. I was truly at rock bottom."
Mr Little told the court about another one of Carrick's victims being shut under a cupboard under the stairs.
He said Carrick would force go into the cupboard when she did something he didn't like where he would be on the other side of the door and "whistle at her as if she was a dog".
Carrick also had cameras in his house where he would spy on his victims while he was out. Carrick claimed they were to watch his pet snakes.
Another of Carrick’s victims said she felt “trapped” and “couldn’t see an escape” while he abused her.
Her statement read: “There are so many mental and physical scars that remain.”
She said Carrick made her feel like a “piece of dirt on his shoe” while he was “eliminating my support network”.
“I actually thought I might die,” she said.
“I felt trapped. I couldn’t see an escape and he made me feel like I had no-one.
“I never wanted to be in that situation ever again.”
After Carrick pleaded guilty it later emerged that the Met was informed of nine incidents - including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment - between 2000 and 2021.
Mr Little said the case fell short of meriting a whole-life sentence - because he had not killed anyone and pleaded guilty - but called for a life sentence with a fixed minimum term.
Alisdair Williamson KC, defending, said Carrick "accepts fully responsibility for what he has done" and that it is likely any life sentence will "bring him close to, if not to, the close of his natural life".
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 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.
The Met was forced to apologise and admit Carrick should have been rooted out earlier after it emerged he came to police attention over nine incidents - including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment - between 2000 and 2021, with all but one of the incidents relating to his behaviour towards women.
Carrick faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings and police chiefs across England and Wales have since been asked to have all officers checked against national police databases by the end of March.
He was finally sacked from the force last month after pleading guilty and being unmasked as one of the country's most prolific sex offenders.
Today the court heard Carrick ad attempted to kill himself while on remand at Belmarsh prison and was detained in a secure hospital but was found not to be suffering from any mental disorder. The judge gave a scathing assessment of his "self-pitying" motive for the suicide bid as she revealed it at his sentencing hearing.
Carrick's crimes are set to form part of the independent inquiry looking at the murder of Sarah Everard, who was raped and strangled by then-serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
Police are also calling for other women who think they may have been victims of Carrick to come forward.
Hertfordshire Police’s Detective Inspector Iain Moor said: “Our investigation does not stop here, we have set up a special reporting portal to allow people to continue to share information about David Carrick with us.
“If anyone else thinks they have been a victim, we still want to hear from you and we will support you."
Immediately after sentencing he praised the women who had reported Carrick, saying: "This has been a very long and challenging investigation and it is a testament to the bravery of the victims, who were prepared to relive their ordeals and face him in court, and my officers’ unwavering and dedicated pursuit for justice, that David Carrick has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years."
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for the "missed opportunities to identify the warning signs" of Carrick's behaviour.
He said: "I and tens of thousands of officers and staff in the Met are horrified by this man’s crimes and recognise this will shake Londoners trust too.
“We have let down women across London but we are more determined than ever to put it right.
“I have been clear, we will rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity by bringing the same intensive investigative approach to identifying wrongdoing in our own ranks as we do to identifying criminals in the community. "
Timeline of Carrick's offences
- 1996-1997: Carrick serves in the British Army.
- 2000: He is a suspect in two offences reported to the Met involving allegations of malicious communications and burglary against a former partner after Carrick refused to accept the end of their relationship. He is not arrested and no further action is taken.
- August 2001: Carrick joins the Met. After training he works as a response officer based in Merton, south-west London.
- 2002: While still in his two-year probationary period, Carrick is accused of harassment and assault against a former partner. He is not arrested by the Met and no further action is taken. The matter is not referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards.
- 2002: Carrick is the subject of the first of five public complaints made between 2002 and 2008. Two allegations that he had been rude were dealt with by management action locally, while three relating to incivility and use of force were withdrawn or dismissed.
- 2003: His first known victim is repeatedly raped.
- 2004: Carrick rapes another woman.
- 2004: Carrick is involved in a domestic incident but no criminal allegations are made to the Met, he is not arrested and the matter is not referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards.
- July 2005: The officer is now based in Barnet, north London.
- 2006-2009: On multiple occasions, the officer rapes a woman, whom he abuses, threatens with violence and demeans. She fears she will not be believed if she reports him.
- 2009: Carrick is transferred to what is now the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, where his role involves providing an armed policing presence at parliamentary, government and diplomatic premises.
- 2009: Hertfordshire Police receive a domestic abuse report from a third party involving Carrick but neither party makes a complaint and no charge is brought. Hertfordshire Police inform Met supervisors.
- 2009: Carrick meets his next victim, a 51-year-old woman, whom he sexually assaults after a social evening.
- August 2009: He sexually assaults a 47-year-old woman after sharing a hotel room following a social event.
- November 2009: Carrick invites a 57-year-old woman back to his home, becomes aggressive and tries to rape her.
- November 2015: Carrick rapes a 45-year-old woman.
- 2016: Carrick is a suspect in a Hampshire Police investigation following an allegation of harassment. He is not arrested and the inquiry is later closed.
- October 2016: Carrick repeatedly rapes and sexually abuses a woman he met online, in some cases causing injuries and urinating over her.
- 2017: Carrick should have been vetted after 10 years of service but is only now re-vetted and passes.
- 2017: Carrick is spoken to by Thames Valley Police officers after he is thrown out of a Reading nightclub for being drunk. He is not arrested and the matter is not referred to the Met.
- March 2017: Carrick meets a woman on a night out, whom he goes on to rape multiple times and sexually abuse. She later describes him as totally controlling and aggressive and says he regularly urinated in her mouth, humiliated her and threatened her with violence.
- 2017: Carrick meets a woman on an online dating site who later says he raped her in the shower after dragging her in by her hair. She also describes being whipped with a belt and suffocated during sex.
- July 2018: Carrick meets a 41-year-old woman online, whom he sexually assaults while she cleans his bathroom.
- 2019: Hertfordshire Police receive a third party report of assault and criminal damage involving an argument between Carrick and a woman during a domestic incident. He is said to have grabbed her by the neck.
Neither party is supportive of police involvement and no further action is taken after the case is looked at by the domestic abuse unit.
The incident is referred to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards and Carrick is given words of advice in relation to informing his chain of command about off-duty incidents. It is determined he has no case to answer in relation to misconduct.
- July 2020: Carrick meets a woman on an online dating site whom he goes on to rape, causing her injuries. He is verbally and physically aggressive, urinates on her and uses sex toys against her will.
- July 2021: The woman reports being raped by Carrick. He is arrested by Hertfordshire Police over the allegation but no further action is taken after she withdraws the complaint.
The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards is made aware and Carrick is placed on restricted duties. It is determined he has no case to answer in relation to any misconduct and in September the restriction is lifted, although he never returns to full duties.
- October 1 2021: A 50-year-old woman reports she was raped by Carrick in September 2020. He is arrested, charged and suspended by the Met.
- October 4: Carrick is remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with rape.
- October 2021-October 2022: The publicity prompts another 12 women to come forward and make allegations against Carrick.
- December 13 2022: Carrick pleads guilty to 43 offences at the Old Bailey. His pay is stopped by the Met.
- January 16 2023: Carrick admits a further six charges at Southwark Crown Court.
- January 17 2023: He is sacked by the Met following a special misconduct hearing.
- February 6-7: Carrick is sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
*For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk Furthermore, Rape Crisis 24/7 helpline can be contacted at 0808 500 2222, Victim Support 24/7 helpline is on 0808 168 9111, Survivors UK (male victims) can be reached 0203 598 3898, Survivors Trust helpline is on 08088 010818
