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David Carrick: Serial police officer rapist given 36 life sentences tried to kill himself

Read below for the latest news and the key points from the sentencing

Watch: David Carrick - rapist Metropolitan Police officer jailed for life

Former Metropolitan Police officer and serial rapist David Carrick tried to kill himself while he was in custody, a court has heard.

Carrick, one of the worst sex offenders in modern UK history, was jailed on Tuesday for at least 30 years after he was given 36 life sentences.

The 48-year-old, who carried out a number of rapes and sexual assaults on 12 women over a 17-year-period, was described as a "monster" and "evil" by some of his victims.

He carried out a “catalogue of violent and brutal” sex attacks between 2003 and 2020, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Carrick had made a "committed attempt" to kill himself while on remand at Belmarsh prison last February.

David Carrick carried out a number of sex attacks while serving in the Metropolitan Police. (PA)
Former Metropolitan Police officer and serial rapist David Carrick has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years. (PA)

As a result, he was moved to Rampton psychiatric hospital but was not found to be suffering from any mental disorder.

The judge told him: “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.”

Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, used his position to gain the women’s trust and scare them into silence.

During the hearing yesterday, the court heard he held a handgun to the head of one of his victims as he raped her and sent another a photograph of himself with a work-issue firearm, saying: “Remember I am the boss.”

The court also heard that Carrick used cameras in his home to monitor his victims and shut one woman in a small cupboard as punishment while “whistling at her as if she was a dog”.

Screen grab taken from PA Video of Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb during a live broadcast from Southwark Crown Court, London, delivering her remarks ahead of the sentencing of Pc David Carrick for
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb during a live broadcast of the sentencing of David Carrick at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. (PA Images via Getty Images)

Sentencing Carrick, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told him: “These convictions represent a spectacular downfall for a man charged with upholding the law and empowered to do so even to the extent of being authorised to bear a firearm in the execution of your duty.

“Behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworthiness you took monstrous advantage of women.

“You brazenly raped and sexually assaulted a number of women, some very brutally and you behaved as if you were untouchable."

Carrick sat in the dock with his eyes closed and head bowed during the hearing in a packed courtroom, including some of his victims, and showed no emotion as he was sentenced.

An artist's sketch of David Carrick, right, appearing at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday for sentencing. (PA)
An artist's sketch of David Carrick, right, appearing at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday for sentencing. (PA)

Carrick’s crimes were all carried out while he was a serving police officer.

He passed vetting checks to guard sites including embassies and the Houses of Parliament and completed training courses, including one on domestic abuse in 2005.

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.

Undated handout photo issued by Hertfordshire Constabulary of the cupboard beneath the stairs home of Pc David Carrick. The serving Metropolitan Police officer has admitted 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, after carrying out sex attacks on a dozen women over an 18-year period. Issue date: Monday February 6, 2023. He pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to four counts of rape, false imprisonment, and indecent assault, relating to a 40-year-old woman in 2003. In December at the Old Bailey, Carrick, who had served in the Army before joining the Met in 2001, admitted 43 charges against 11 other women, including 20 counts of rape, between March 2004 and September 2020. See PA story COURTS Carrick. Photo credit should read: Hertfordshire Constabulary/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
The cupboard beneath the stairs in the home of David Carrick. (PA)

David Carrick: Key points from the sentencing

Full story: Rapist Metropolitan Police officer jailed for life over abuse of 12 women (Guardian)

Carrick victim: 'I was put in boot of police car and driven around for hours' (The Telegraph)

Hundreds of UK officers should never have been appointed (The Independent)

Pictured: Cupboard where rapist police officer David Carrick kept victims (Evening Standard)

Rape victim told by nurse to 'put it behind her and move on' (Yahoo News UK)

Timeline of 17-year campaign of ‘violent and brutal sex offences’ (Independent)

David Carrick's offences

Carrick, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had pleaded guilty to 49 offences spanning two decades:

His full list of offences were:

24 counts of rape

9 counts of sexual assault

5 counts of assault by penetration

3 counts of coercive and controlling behaviour

3 counts of false imprisonment

2 counts of attempted rape

1 count of attempted sexual assault by penetration

1 count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent

1 count of indecent assault

A woman has recalled a
David Carrick posing with a police firearm. (SWNS)

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.

David Carrick's methods

Carrick, nicknamed "B*****d Dave" by colleagues, met some of the women through online dating sites such as Tinder and Badoo or on social occasions, using his position as a police officer to gain their trust.

Carrick admitted raping nine of the women, some on multiple occasions over months or years, with many of those attacks involving violence that would have left them physically injured.

Watch: Prime minister says David Carrick's abuse of power 'truly sickening'

Some were locked in a small cupboard under the stairs in his Hertfordshire home for hours without food or forced to clean his house naked.

Carrick whipped one woman with a belt, urinated on some of his victims, and told them when they could eat and sleep.

Read more: David Carrick case - is the Metropolitan Police damaged beyond repair?

He called women “fat and lazy” or his “slave” as he controlled them financially, isolated them from friends and family, and forbade them from speaking with other men or even their own children.

Chief Crown prosecutor Jaswant Narwal said: “This is a man who relentlessly degraded, belittled, sexually assaulted and raped women."

A woman has recalled a
David Carrick carried out dozens of rape and sexual offences against 12 women. (SWNS)

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.

On 4 September 2020, Carrick told her he was a firearms officer nicknamed “B*****d Dave”, showed her his warrant card and boasted of meeting famous people, including then-prime minister Boris Johnson, in the course of his work, a court previously heard.

How did David Carrick evade capture?

Carrick came to the attention of police over nine incidents – including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment – between 2000 and 2021.

But Carrick, who joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: A general view of the exterior of New Scotland Yard on January 17, 2023 in London, England. The Metropolitan Police revealed it is investigating 800 of its officers over 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims. The Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, also said that 45,000 Met officers and staff would be rechecked for any missed offences. This comes after PC David Carrick pleaded guilty yesterday to 49 offences, including dozens of rapes.  (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The Metropolitan Police has apologised for its handling of the David Carrick case. (Getty Images)

Police chiefs across England and Wales have since been asked to have all officers checked against national police databases by the end of March.

What has the Metropolitan Police said?

On Sunday, Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Barbara Gray repeated the force's apology to Carrick's victims.

“I am truly sorry for the harm and devastation he has caused them," she said.

“We let them down and we failed to identify a man in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service who carried out the most awful offences.

“He should not have been a police officer."

What has been the fallout from the case?

Last month, Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that two or three police officers are expected to appear in court each week to face criminal charges in the coming months as the scandal-hit force attempts to reform.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, to answer questions about the David Carrick case, at City Hall in East London. Picture date: Wednesday January 25, 2023. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee to answer questions about the David Carrick case. (PA Images via Getty Images)

After Carrick’s guilty plea nearly three weeks ago, home secretary Suella Braverman said more disturbing cases involving police officers could be uncovered in the short term.

Following the sentencing, Braverman said: “The crimes of David Carrick are a scar on our police, and it is only right that he now faces at least 30 years behind bars. I pay tribute to the brave women who have come forward to hold him to account for his vile abuse.

“It is vital we uncover how he was able to wear the uniform for so long."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “My thoughts are with Carrick’s victims today. I want to pay tribute to their bravery and courage. By coming forward they have helped to protect the public and rid the Met Police of a dangerous and prolific offender who abused his position as a police officer in the worst possible way.

“This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again."

A new Met Police integrity hotline has received “tens of calls” a week, leading to new investigations, Sir Mark said, a third of which relate to other forces.

In the wake of Carrick’s conviction, about 1,000 previous cases involving Met officers and staff who were accused of sexual offences or domestic violence are being reviewed to make sure they were handled correctly. This is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Watch: Met Police chief says rooting out corrupt officers 'will be painful'