Jan. 16 (UPI) — A former officer for London‘s Metropolitan Police Department pleaded guilty Monday to multiple counts of rape, false imprisonment and indecent in connection with a string of sex crimes.
David Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, as well as false imprisonment and indecent assault in an appearance at Southwark Crown Court.
At a previous hearing last month, he pleaded guilty to 43 charges, including 20 counts of rape.
The disgraced police officer is accused of using his position of authority to manipulate and abuse women over the course of at least 18 years. He was arrested and suspended in October 2021.
“Carrick is a prolific, serial sex offender who preyed on women over a period of many years, abusing his position as a police officer and committing the most horrific, degrading crimes,” said Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Barbara Gray.
“He has devastated women’s lives. He has had a devastating impact on the trust and confidence of women and girls that we are working so hard to earn. He has devastated colleagues,” she added.
The charges Carrick is facing stem from incidents involving nine female victims whom he has admitted to raping. In total, he has been accused of as many as 80 offenses, including committing rape at least 48 times.
Carrick’s abuse and harassment of his victims included mental, emotional and physical elements, authorities said. He allegedly locked women in a small compartment in his home southern England and withheld food, deprived them of sleep, forced them to clean his home in the nude and urinated on them, according to Sky News.
The former officer also controlled his victims financially, isolating them from friends and family and referring to them as “slaves,” prosecutors say.
“This man abused women in the most disgusting manner,” said Metropolitan Commissioner Mark Rowley. “It is sickening. We’ve let women and girls down and indeed we’ve let Londoners down. The women who suffered and survived this violence have been unimaginably brave and courageous in coming forward.”
Carrick served the Met as an officer from 2001 until his arrest for rape in 2021. His pay was not suspended until he pleaded guilty to his first charge.
The Met launched an investigation into Carrick following his 2021 rape charge. The Hertfordshire Constabulary also investigated allegations against him and his history. They found numerous incidents reported against him both on- and off-duty. Some incidents were handled internally and some did not result in any criminal offense filings.
Before joining the police force, Carrick was accused of engaging in malicious communication and committing burglary by a former partner. He also faced several allegations from former partners in his first years as an officer, including harassment and assault.
“The duration and nature of Carrick’s offending is unprecedented in policing. But regrettably he is not the only Met officer to have been charged with serious sexual offenses in the recent past,” Gray said.
“Our work to identify and rid the Met of corrupt officers is determined and focused. As the Commissioner has said, we will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who are engaged in corrupt or criminal behavior using all the available tactics and techniques at our disposal.”
Gray said the Met established the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offending investigation team, which is made up of more than 50 experienced investigators.
