The Herald

Rapist PC locked up for 30 years

- By Henry Vaughan

A JUDGE has condemned the “malign influence” of men like rapist Metropolit­an Police officer David Carrick as she jailed him for at least 30 years.

Mrs Justice Cheema-grubb said the disgraced PC, 48, acted like he was “untouchabl­e” and used his job to take “monstrous advantage of women” over 17 years.

Carrick, who was described as a “monster” and “evil” by some of his dozen victims, “brazenly raped and sexually assaulted” them between 2003 and 2020, the judge said.

Carrick, one of the country’s worst sex offenders, joined the Met in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliament­ary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009.

He pleaded guilty to 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape, but some are multiple-incident counts, meaning they relate to at least 85 separate offences, including at least 71 sexual offences and 48 rapes.

Carrick held a handgun to the head of one of his victims before raping her – and sent another a photograph of himself with a work-issue firearm, with a note saying: “Remember I am the boss.”

In a televised sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court yesterday, Carrick was handed 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 32 years – minus his time spent on remand.

Mrs Justice Cheema-grubb told him his crimes were aggravated by the “use and abuse” of his role and said he “reassured, tricked or intimidate­d” his victims, “abusing the trust that the public vest in police officers”.

“These women are not weak or ineffectua­l,” she said.

“They were victims of your criminal mindset.

“The malign influence of men like you in positions of power stands in the way of a revolution of women’s dignity.

“It is remarkable that with one woman being driven to report an allegation against you, despite your position and power, others felt able to act.

“Even today, courage calls to courage everywhere and its voice cannot be denied.”

The judge told Carrick his conviction­s represent “a spectacula­r downfall for a man charged with upholding the law and empowered to do so even to the extent of being authorised to bear a firearm in the execution of your duty”.

“Behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworth­iness you took monstrous advantage of women,” she said.

“You brazenly raped and sexually assaulted a number of women, some you barely knew, and you behaved as if you were untouchabl­e.”

Carrick sat in the dock with his eyes closed and head bowed during the hearing in a packed courtroom, where some of his victims sat, and showed no emotion as he was sentenced.

Courage calls to courage everywhere and its voice cannot be denied

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom