London police officer jailed for 32 years for 49 sexual offence charges

A former London police officer was jailed on Tuesday for a minimum of 32 years for a "catalogue of violence and brutal sexual offending" in a sustained campaign of abuse against women.

David Carrick, who worked in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, used his position of power to intimidate many of his victims, saying no one would believe their word against that of a serving officer, prosecutors said.

The 48-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to 49 charges relating to 12 victims between 2003 and 2020, making him one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.

Carrick's offences, which included 24 counts of rape, were all committed while serving in the Metropolitan Police – piling further pressure on Britain's biggest police force, which is already reeling from a series of scandals in recent years.

He appeared in the dock of London's Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday as Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 32 years.

Carrick had previously come to police attention over nine incidents including accusations of harassment, assault and rape between 2000 – the year before he began training with the Met – and October 2021, when he was first charged.

The London force, which dismissed Carrick last month, has previously apologised for failing to spot his pattern of abuse earlier.

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said in a statement on Sunday evening that she was "truly sorry for the harm and devastation" caused to Carrick's victims.

"We let them down and we failed to identify a man in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service who carried out the most awful offences," she said. "He should not have been a police officer."