A former Metropolitan Police officer, David Carrick, has been convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl and raping a former partner. Carrick, aged 50, who previously worked as an armed officer in the Metropolitan Police, committed the assault on the child in the late 1980s. Later on, he engaged in a toxic relationship where he raped a woman and subjected her to degrading and humiliating treatment over several years.
The crimes came to light when Carrick pleaded guilty to a total of 71 sexual offenses between 2022 and 2023, which included 48 counts of rape against 12 women over a span of 17 years. In 2023, he received 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 32 years. Despite denying the new allegations, Carrick chose not to provide evidence during his trial at the Old Bailey.
After five hours of deliberation, the jury found Carrick guilty of two counts of rape, one of sexual assault, and coercive and controlling behavior towards the woman from 2014 to 2019. He was also convicted of five counts of indecent assault related to the girl in the late 1980s.
Hertfordshire Police commended the bravery of the victims and encouraged any additional victims of Carrick to come forward after the verdict. Testimony revealed that Carrick had abused a young girl for about 18 months before she disclosed the abuse to her mother. In a letter found in his medical records, Carrick admitted to the abuse but claimed to have stopped several months before.
During the trial, the adult victim described Carrick as sly and manipulative, and she highlighted the lack of action when she initially reported the abuse to her mother. The second victim, who met Carrick through a dating site, spoke of his initial charm turning into control and multiple instances of rape.
While in prison, Carrick insisted that his sexual encounters with the woman were consensual and accused her of being influenced by the MeToo movement. Despite his written admission, he denied the historic child abuse accusations, labeling the girl as dishonest.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC portrayed Carrick as feeling invincible during his two-decade tenure as a police officer until his crimes were exposed in 2022. He emphasized Carrick’s facade and silence during the trial.
Senior Crown prosecutor Shilpa Shah lauded the strong case built on compelling evidence from both victims and the written confession. She described Carrick as a manipulative and abusive individual who hid his true nature behind a charming exterior.
Detective Superintendent Iain Moor from Hertfordshire Constabulary expressed satisfaction in securing justice for the victims and urged other potential victims to come forward. He acknowledged the damaging impact of cases like Carrick’s and the murder of Sarah Everard by another police officer on public trust and encouraged further reporting to the authorities.