AFP, published Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 03:50
It’s one of the “most shocking” cases a police officer has been involved in, according to British prosecutors. An officer on Monday admitted to a total of 24 rapes and numerous sexual assaults over a 17-year period, sparking criticism of London Police.
“On behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I would like to apologize to the women who suffered under David Carrick,” Deputy Commissioner Barbara Gray said.
“We should have recognized his behavior and by not doing so we missed opportunities to remove him,” police said.
On Monday morning, David Carrick, a 48-year-old police officer, pleaded guilty to four counts of rape in a London court.
On December 13, he had already admitted to 43 crimes, including 20 rapes, and sexual assault. Facts between 2003 and 2020.
This case brings back the country’s shocking memories of the death of 33-year-old Londoner Sarah Everard, who was raped and killed by a police officer in March 2021.
David Carrick was part of the capital’s police force responsible for protecting Parliament and diplomatic posts within the Metropolitan Police (Met), the London police force.
He was arrested in October 2021 for a first rape case.
“As press interest followed, other victims came forward. … The weight of her testimony was extremely strong,” Chief Inspector Iain Moor said in court. He expects more victims.
David Carrick met some women on online dating sites or on dates and used his position as a police officer to gain their trust.
He admitted to raping nine women, some repeatedly, over months or even years.
The police officer locked the victims in a small cupboard under the stairs of his home for hours without food. He called some of his victims his “slaves”; he controlled them financially; he isolated her from her relatives.
“He loved to humiliate his victims and used his professional position to make them understand that there was no point in seeking help because they would never be believed,” said Iain Moor.
– Review of past cases –
The investigation revealed that David Carrick had been the subject of several allegations of violence since the early 2000s, without this leading to a thorough investigation by his superiors.
For the head of the prosecutor’s office, Jaswant Narwal, it is “one of the most shocking cases that the prosecutor’s office has had to deal with, involving a police officer on duty”.
Met boss Mark Rowley apologized and acknowledged that Carrick may have acted because of “systemic errors.”
“We failed and I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have become a police officer,” he said.
According to the Met, 1,633 cases of alleged sexual assault or domestic violence involving more than 1,000 officers and agents over the past decade will be reviewed to ensure appropriate decisions were made.
Another case sparked fear in the UK in March 2021. Police officer Wayne Couzens raped and killed a London woman, Sarah Everard, whom he had handcuffed in a false arrest before kidnapping her.
This agent was sentenced to life imprisonment. The police had been accused of ignoring alarming signals about the killer’s behavior.
– “Absolutely disgusted” –
“Police forces must root out these officers to restore public confidence, which has been shaken by cases like David Carrick,” said a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely disgusted by the truly heinous crimes committed by David Carrick”. He demanded that “serious questions be answered about how he could have abused his position as a police officer”.
In November, a report highlighted deficiencies in the recruitment and control of police officers and revealed the extent of misogynist, sexist and even rapacious behavior.
Police Inspectorate Chief Matt Parr had said it was “too easy for the wrong people to join the force and stay in the force”.
David Carrick has pleaded guilty, there will be no trial. A hearing to announce his verdict will take place from February 6th.