A previously undiscovered confession letter written by serial rapist David Carrick more than three decades ago could have prevented his horrific crimes, a court has heard.
The former Metropolitan Police officer was convicted at the Old Bailey of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old schoolgirl in the 1980s and raping a former partner. The 50-year-old had detailed his abuse of the child in a handwritten note dated August 29, 1990.
The Lost Confession
In the shocking letter, Carrick admitted molesting the girl and wrote: 'I know how (the girl) must feel. That's why I stopped and promised I would never go near her again and I have kept that promise and I always will.'
He signed the note 'Dave' and it was filed in his medical records, where it remained undiscovered for over thirty years. The document only came to light two years ago after Carrick was already serving a 30-year prison sentence for 85 rapes and serious assaults against twelve women.
At the time the note was written, Carrick was a teenager who would later become one of Britain's most notorious sexual predators, using his position as an armed Met Police officer to hide his crimes for years.
Missed Opportunities
Superintendent Iain Moor, who led the Hertfordshire Police investigation, stated that the future could have been 'very different' had Carrick's offending been identified in 1990.
'It's very difficult to apply today's standards back to the 1990s,' Moor said. 'Obviously, we have multi-agency safeguarding hubs now. We have mechanisms for reports to come in from GPs, from medical professionals. But I think had something occurred and the police became aware back in 1990, then it is possible that the offending could have been picked up at that point.'
The victim revealed that after she told her mother about the abuse when she was 14, the matter was 'brushed under the carpet' and no further action was taken.
Pattern of Abuse and Failed Accountability
Carrick's trial heard disturbing details of his crimes against the schoolgirl, whom he would silence by holding his hand over her mouth during assaults that occurred sometimes twice weekly over 18 months.
In February 2023, Carrick received 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 32 years after pleading guilty to 71 sexual offences. Despite being reported to police on nine occasions since 2000, he maintained his position in the parliamentary protection unit.
One particularly alarming incident occurred in September 2019 when Hertfordshire Police responded to a domestic disturbance at Carrick's Stevenage home. The report was referred to his own force, but he faced no misconduct case and was merely given 'words of advice'.
Superintendent Moor commended the bravery of victims who came forward and suggested there might be more victims yet to speak out. 'There are varying reasons why people might not be ready to come forward and we fully respect those,' he said. 'But if there are people out there, we would urge them to come forward.'
The case has exposed serious failings in police vetting and accountability, leading the Met to urgently review over 1,000 officers who had faced complaints of domestic abuse or sexual offending.
