Sylvie Claire / January 17, 2023

It is one of the “most shocking” cases involving a police officer, according to the British prosecution service. An officer admitted to a total of 24 rapes and numerous sexual assaults over a 17-year period on Monday, triggering strong criticism of the London police.

On behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I want to apologize to the women who suffered at the hands of David Carrick,” said Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray. “We should have spotted his behavior and because we did not, we missed opportunities to remove him” from the force.

On Monday morning, David Carrick, a 48-year-old police officer, pleaded guilty in a London court to four rapes. On December 13, he had already admitted 43 offences, including 20 rapes, as well as sexual assaults. These acts were committed between 2003 and 2020.

This case revives the memory, which shocked the country, of the death of a 33-year-old Londoner, Sarah Everard, raped and killed by a police officer in March 2021.

David Carrick was a member of the capital’s police unit responsible for the protection of Parliament and diplomatic representations, within the Metropolitan Police (Met).

He was arrested in October 2021 for an initial rape case. “As press interest followed, other victims came forward. (…) The weight of their testimony has been extremely powerful,” said Detective Chief Inspector Iain Moor outside the court, who expects more victims to come forward.

David Carrick met some of the women on online dating sites or on dates, using his position as a police officer to gain their trust.

He admitted to raping nine women, some repeatedly, over a period of months to years. He locked victims in a small closet under the stairs in his home for hours without food. He called some of his victims his “slaves”; he controlled them financially; he isolated them from their loved ones. “He enjoyed humiliating his victims and skillfully used his professional position to make them understand that there was no point in seeking help because they would never be believed,” Iain Moor detailed. He dealt with his victims “in the most destructive way possible ».

Jaswant Narwal, the head of the prosecution service, called it “one of the most shocking cases the prosecution service has had to deal with involving a serving police officer.

Met chief Mark Rowley apologized and acknowledged that Carrick may have acted because of “systemic failures.” “We failed and I’m sorry for that. He should not have been a police officer,” he insisted.

In March 2021, another case caused alarm in the United Kingdom. Police officer Wayne Couzens raped and killed a London woman, Sarah Everard, whom he had handcuffed during a false arrest, before abducting her. The officer was sentenced to life in prison. The police were accused of ignoring alarming signals about the murderer’s behaviour.

The police force must root out these officers to restore public confidence, which has been shattered by cases like that of David Carrick,” said a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“I am absolutely disgusted by the truly heinous offences that David Carrick has committed,” reacted London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “Serious questions need to be answered about how he was able to abuse his position” as a police officer

In November, a report highlighted flaws in the recruitment and vetting of police officers and revealed the extent of misogynistic, sexist and even predatory behaviour.

“It is too easy for the wrong people to both join and stay in the police force,” said the head of police inspection services, Matt Parr.

David Carrick pleaded guilty, so there will be no trial. A sentencing hearing will be held starting February