A senior police officer has declared that a written confession by serial rapist David Carrick, had it been discovered decades ago, could have dramatically altered the course of history and prevented his subsequent crimes.
A Legacy of Abuse Uncovered
David Carrick, the 50-year-old former Metropolitan Police officer, was found guilty today at the Old Bailey of new offences, including molesting a 12-year-old girl when he was just 14 and raping a former partner. These crimes occurred more than 20 years apart. Carrick, who is already serving a life sentence, was convicted of these and eight other charges following a trial.
The court heard that a crucial piece of evidence—a handwritten confession note dated August 29, 1990—was filed away with his medical records and remained undiscovered for 35 years. In the note, signed from "Dave," the teenage Carrick admitted to abusing the 12-year-old girl, stating she was "not crazy" and that his actions were "true."
A Missed Opportunity
Superintendent Iain Moor, the lead investigator from Hertfordshire Police, stated that had this confession been acted upon in 1990, the future would have looked "very different." He explained to the PA news agency that while modern safeguarding mechanisms like multi-agency hubs exist today, had the police become aware at the time, Carrick's offending could have been halted.
Carrick wrote in the letter that he had stopped the abuse four months prior and offered to "go away and never be seen again." He pleaded, "Please do not try to talk about it." The note only surfaced during a second investigation after Carrick was jailed for life in 2023 for 71 sexual offences against 12 women, including 48 rapes.
The Final Verdict and Lasting Impact
Today's verdict at the Old Bailey saw Carrick found guilty on multiple counts after jurors deliberated for five hours. The charges included:
- Five counts of indecent assault against a girl under 16 between April 1989 and August 1990.
- Two counts of rape against a woman.
- One count of sexual assault against the same woman.
- One count of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Carrick was seen shaking his head as the verdicts were delivered. He is scheduled to be sentenced in a hearing beginning on Thursday morning. The victim of the childhood abuse revealed that after she told her mother what was happening, the matter was "brushed under the carpet" and no further action was taken, allowing Carrick to continue his decades-long pattern of predatory behaviour.
