Linda Williams, a former Metropolitan Police officer raped by David Carrick, has called for Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to resign after receiving a six-figure settlement from the force. Ms Williams, 60, who has waived her right to anonymity, was attacked by the serial rapist in 2004.
Settlement and Criticism
Her case against the Met has been settled for an undisclosed six-figure sum without the force admitting liability. Ms Williams, from Hertfordshire, described the way she was treated throughout her legal claim as “devastating” and said it drove her to contemplate suicide.
Carrick, 51, a former armed officer in the Met, is one of the country’s worst sex offenders and is serving 37 life sentences after attacking more than a dozen women.
Victim's Statement
Ms Williams said: “The whole process has taken me right back to how I felt when I was raped by Carrick, controlled, abused and powerless. If I was raped tomorrow, I wouldn’t report it. Both the criminal justice process and the civil process have been so traumatic. I say that as someone who was once a sexual offences officer, supporting victims myself. Despite that experience and my understanding of the system, I still wouldn’t report it because of the complete lack of empathy and support I have experienced from the police.”
She added: “At no point did I feel they sincerely acknowledged that I had been through a horrific sexual attack and that the trauma of that had deeply scarred me, or their role in it all. They used the fact that I just got on with my life as best I could after the rape against me. I was an exemplary officer and continued to perform well at work, and they relied on that to suggest I had shown no signs of psychological trauma. As far as I am concerned, it is Mark Rowley, the Commissioner, saying these terrible things as he was the defendant in the case.”
Allegations Against the Met
Ms Williams alleged it was “the Met’s fault” that she could not report the rape in 2004, and that “little had changed” in the culture since then. She described the force as “like an episode of Life On Mars” and said she would have been “the officer who alleged I had been raped by a fellow officer”.
She reported the attack in 2021 and said she has had no relationships since the attack 22 years ago. Ms Williams said: “After the attack, I couldn’t face the thought of being with a man or even having somebody in my home. That makes for a lonely Christmas and no holidays. It’s my choice but the reason behind it wasn’t my choice. That’s down to the attack. Carrick stole the future that I wanted.”
Calls for Change
Following her legal dispute, Ms Williams wants changes to the Met’s support systems and a new unit overseen by victims. She said: “Mark Rowley will say they are doing everything they can to stop violence against women and girls, I disagree. The Met need to set up a unit overseen by victims like me who understand what it is like to be raped. For this to happen Rowley needs to go and we need a new commissioner.”
Sophie Bullimore, a solicitor from Penningtons Manches Cooper who represented Ms Williams, said: “My client is an extremely impressive woman, who has shown incredible strength since the assault and throughout this process; however her life has been forever changed and more than 20 years after the attack, the impact on her mental health and daily living is still stark.” She added that the “time it has taken” to reach a settlement has resulted in Ms Williams taking long-term sickness from the police and has asked that the Met “review” how they deal with cases like this in future.
Carrick's Convictions
In 2022 and 2023, Carrick pleaded guilty to 71 sexual offences, including 48 rapes against 12 other women over 17 years. In November last year, he was convicted of molesting a 12-year-old child in the late 1980s and repeatedly raping and abusing a female ex-partner.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “David Carrick was responsible for the most appalling offences and as we have said previously, we are truly sorry for the harm and suffering he caused his victims. He should never have been a police officer. Serious flaws in the way we approached such investigations at the time meant we did not spot his pattern of abusive behaviour. As a result, we missed opportunities to pursue him through the misconduct process. We deeply regret this.”
The spokesperson added: “We recognise the unique and additional impact on DC Linda Williams, whose exposure to Carrick came as a result of her being a Met officer. Her continued commitment to public service, in spite of the trauma she experienced, is commendable. Throughout subsequent legal proceedings, the Met has tried to reduce further distress and re-traumatisation to DC Williams’ welfare and has aimed to deal with her claims as quickly and compassionately as possible. The Commissioner has previously met with DC Williams in person as well as spoken to her via email on multiple occasions. He has repeatedly acknowledged that she has shown courage in speaking out about her experience in an effort to drive forward necessary change and in now waiving her anonymity to continue to do so. He has contacted DC Williams to ask whether she would be willing to meet again and further discuss these issues in person.”
