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Police receive fresh complaints over serial rapist Met officer David Carrick

Information received through dedicated portal asking for any other victims of sexual violence to come forward

Lizzie Dearden
Home Affairs Editor
Thursday 19 January 2023 07:13 EST
Sunak pledges action to tackle abuse of power following 'absolutely despicable' Carrick case

Police have received more calls about serial rapist PC David Carrick after his 17-year campaign of sexual offences and domestic abuse was finally revealed with his guilty pleas.

The 48-year-old committed all 49 crimes he admitted while serving in the Metropolitan Police, which repeatedly decided not to sack him.

The investigation was led by Hertfordshire Constabulary because Carrick targeted several women at his home in Stevenage, and it has set up a dedicated portal for any other potential victims.

A spokesperson said: “We have already received some information via the portal and our usual reporting channels, following Monday’s hearing.

“We will be contacting everyone who has been in touch. Should any further offences come to light they will be investigated accordingly.”

The force would not confirm the number of reports received or give any information on the nature of any new allegations.

The dedicated reporting portal directs information to the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit, which investigated Carrick after a victim first reported rape in 2021.

“With the subsequent media interest in the case, more victims came forward and reported further offences,” it adds.

“If you believe you may be a victim of sexual violence committed by David Carrick then police are asking you to contact them.”

The Metropolitan Police said that it would refer any further allegations it receives to Hertfordshire Constabulary, which continues to lead on the criminal case.

A spokesperson added: “Processes are in place to ensure that all appropriate support can be provided to anyone coming forward, regardless of which force area they are living in.

“We will not be providing a running commentary on the number of or nature of calls received in relation to this case.”

The first woman to report that she had been raped by Carrick came forward as a result of the murder of Sarah Everard, by another serving Metropolitan Police officer, in 2021.

She told how she and Carrick went for drinks in a pub in September 2020 after they met on dating app Tinder, and he showed her his warrant card and boasted of meeting famous people in the course of his work, including then-prime minister Boris Johnson.

David Carrick has pleaded guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020 (Hertfordshire Police/PA)
David Carrick has pleaded guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020 (Hertfordshire Police/PA) (PA Media)

Publicity around the resulting charges against Carrick sparked a wave of other victims coming forward, and on Monday he admitted 49 offences, totalling 71 incidents including 24 rapes, against 12 women dating back to 2003.

All police forces have now been ordered to search for sexual predators and domestic abusers in their ranks, to “identify anyone who has slipped through the net” and root them out.

In a review conducted following Carrick’s arrest, the Metropolitan Police found more than 1,000 serving officers and staff who have had complaints against them in the past decade but faced no action at the time.

Vetting and monitoring processes for police officers are under intense scrutiny after it emerged that Carrick was let into Britain’s largest force months after it investigated him for harassing a former partner.

He was allowed to remain a police officer for 20 years despite involvement in at least nine incidents, including domestic abuse and violence, as he was never prosecuted and Scotland Yard repeatedly decided Carrick had “no case to answer” for disciplinary proceedings.

There are no misconduct investigations relating to any of the officers who failed to spark prosecutions against Carrick over multiple incidents of domestic abuse and violence, or those who allowed him to remain in the Metropolitan Police.

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