David Carrick, a London Metropolitan Police officer, pleaded guilty Monday to 49 sex crimes committed continuously over 18 years, making him one of the most dangerous serial rapists in UK criminal history.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office has described Carrick’s crimes as «appalling» and urged the security forces to root out «criminal» police officers in order to «restore the trust» of the British people, which «has been shattered,» Sky News reported.
According to testimony heard during the trial, the 48-year-old man met some of his victims through internet dating apps, and used his position as a police officer to gain their trust. Carrick has admitted to raping nine women, some on multiple occasions, over months or years.
Some victims were locked in a small cupboard under the stairs in his Hertfordshire home for hours without food or forced to clean his house naked. In addition, he went so far as to whip one woman with a belt and urinated on some of them.
The London Metropolitan Police has issued a statement in which it has detailed that Carrick has been remanded in custody and will be tried at a hearing scheduled in Southwark from Monday, February 6. It also regretted the events and acknowledged mistakes within the organization.
«Carrick is a prolific serial sex offender who preyed on women over a long period of years, abusing his position as a police officer and committing the most horrific and degrading crimes,» deputy commissioner Barbara Gray has denounced in a statement.
In this regard, she has acknowledged the failure to stop his «pattern of abusive behavior.» «Because we failed to do so, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organization,» she said, adding that his actions have had «a devastating impact on women’s confidence.»
Specifically, Carrick has pleaded guilty to at least 24 counts of rape, including nine counts of sexual assault, five for penetration, three for coercive and controlling behavior, three for false imprisonment, two for attempted rape or one for attempted penetrative sexual assault, among others.
Carrick joined the Metropolitan Police in 2001 and worked in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command until his arrest and suspension in October 2021 by Hertfordshire Constabulary after being charged with rape.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
