David Carrick, a former officer with the Metropolitan Police, has been convicted of a series of horrific sexual crimes, including the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl and the rape of a former partner.
A Pattern of Abuse Uncovered
The trial at the Old Bailey heard disturbing details of Carrick's offending, which spanned decades. He was found guilty of molesting the 12-year-old girl over an 18-month period in the late 1980s, during which he held his hand over her mouth to silence her.
A damning piece of evidence was a letter of confession, which was later recovered from his medical records. This conviction is in addition to his guilty pleas in 2022 and 2023 to 71 sexual offences, including a staggering 48 rapes, against 12 women over a 17-year period.
Escalating Offences and a Sense of Invincibility
In the recent trial, Carrick was also convicted of two further charges of rape, one count of sexual assault, and coercive and controlling behaviour towards a woman between 2014 and 2019.
The prosecution highlighted that Carrick, who had felt "invincible" in his role as a police officer, was in fact a child abuser from an early age. His criminal behaviour escalated over many years, revealing a deeply predatory nature that he was able to conceal while serving in the force.
Consequences of a Broken Trust
This case raises serious questions about accountability within the police service and the mechanisms for identifying predatory individuals. The fact that Carrick was able to commit such a vast number of offences over such a long period while serving as a police officer has caused widespread outrage and demands for reform.
The full extent of his crimes paints a chilling picture of a man who abused his position of power to prey on the vulnerable, with his earliest known victim being a child.
