Ten victims of serial rapist and former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick are launching legal action against the force, citing a string of catastrophic failures that left him free to subject them to horrific abuse.
A Monster in Uniform
David Carrick, 50, came to the attention of the Met Police on nine separate occasions but was repeatedly cleared to continue working as a firearms officer. This legal action comes as he was found guilty today of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the late 1990s and raping a former partner more than two decades later.
Carrick, who is already serving a life sentence, joined the Met in 2001 and became an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009. He ultimately pleaded guilty in 2023 to 49 charges, relating to at least 85 separate offences against 12 women, including 48 rapes.
Systemic Failures and Missed Opportunities
The force's internal anti-corruption unit, reminiscent of the team in 'Line of Duty', failed to stop Carrick. In a botched investigation, they cleared him to return to work after a rape allegation in 2021, just months after the murder of Sarah Everard by fellow Met officer Wayne Couzens.
The Department of Professional Standards (DPS) failed to check Carrick's shocking history, which included prior allegations of assault, harassment, domestic violence, and burglary. Despite these red flags, the DPS found he had 'no case to answer' for misconduct.
Former Met Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray admitted the DPS dealt with incidents in isolation, failing to spot an 'escalating pattern' of abuse. The legal claim highlights failures in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021.
Legal Reckoning and Institutional Accountability
Scotland Yard confirmed it has received letters of claim from ten women. A statement read: "We are engaged with the claimants' legal representatives. It would be inappropriate for us to provide further details at this time."
Harriet Wistrich, founder of the Centre for Women's Justice, stated in 2023: "Their failure to look at previous allegations is a big part of the story as to why this dangerous perpetrator remained in the police for so long."
This case echoes a 2014 High Court judgment where the Met was sued by two survivors of black cab rapist John Worboys for breaching the Human Rights Act, resulting in damages over £40,000.
Carrick was only finally stopped when Hertfordshire Police charged him with rape in October 2021. He is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey for his latest convictions.
