Former Police Officer sentenced to minimum of 30 years

Former Met Police Officer David Carrick abused his status to commit 48 rapes, amid a total of 85 sexual offences, against 12 courageous women, over 17 years. He has been sentenced to a minimum of 30 years and 239 days.

Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive, Women’s Aid:

“This sentence will not diminish the fear and trauma that this dangerous predator inflicted on his victims, who will have to live with the consequences of his brutal and dehumanising actions for the rest of their lives. It will not restore the grave lack of trust that women currently have in the police and criminal justice system to protect them.

 

Carrick was a serving police officer who abused his authority to commit the worst crimes against women over a 17 year period; he had come to the attention of the Met and three other forces nine times but was still not considered a high-enough risk to warrant a thorough investigation into his conduct.

 

The women whose testimonies have put this violent perpetrator behind bars must be commended for their courage and bravery. We hope that their strength will show other women who have been silenced by fear and intimidation that justice is possible.

 

Apologies must be accompanied by urgent reforms to ensure that dangerous and predatory men do not belong in any police force, and a robust commitment must be made that women who report sexual assault and domestic abuse will be believed, supported and that they will receive justice. We have had enough and the time for change has long passed.

 

We need nothing short of complete, system-wide holistic reform of the police and across all sectors of the justice system to ensure women are protected from predatory men. This must range from recruitment and vetting policies, to management and misconduct process, to leadership and of course training which aims to eradicate sexism and misogyny. Change must be led from the top. All police forces must prioritise the reforms needed, and ultimately responsibility for the policing response to women lies with the Home Office – we need ministerial oversight and action to drive change.”