LONDON: A British officer has admitted to dozens of sexual assaults over an 18-year period, including 24 counts of rape, years after several police forces were informed of his attacks.
David Carrick, formerly an armed officer in London’s Metropolitan Police force, pleaded guilty on Monday to four charges of rape, false imprisonment and indecent assault before the capital’s Southwark Crown Court.
He had previously admitted to 43 other offences, including 20 counts of rape, at a hearing in December.
The attacks of 12 women took place from 2003 to 2020 when Carrick worked as a response officer and later within the Met Police’s parliamentary and diplomatic command, guarding the UK Parliament, the prime minister’s residence and foreign embassies.
Carrick was suspended from duty upon his arrest in October 2021. Most of his offences took place in Hertfordshire, a county north of London where he lived.
The 48-year-old had come to the attention of police departments, including the Met, on “nine occasions prior to October 2021”, the London police force said in a statement.
Those instances included allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment from 2000 to 2021, but no charges were brought.
The Met was placed under “special measures” last year after revelations of bullying, racial discrimination and misogyny among some of its officers. That status means more scrutiny for the country’s largest police force, which now has to report to inspectors regularly. An independent review found in October that the Met needs “radical” reform to respond more effectively to misconduct allegations. –Agencies
