David Carrick sentencing: victims’ experiences as rapist police officer used gun and handcuffs to attack women

Rapist police officer David Carrick told one of his victims he “was the safest person she could be with” before holding a handgun to her head and raping her.

The disgraced Met Police officer - who is one of the nation’s worst sex offenders - is being sentenced at Southwark Crown Court for 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape. The 48-year-old admitted attacking 12 women over 17 years, the whole time he was a serving police constable. Carrick remained expressionless and barely looked up while the horrific details of his crimes were read out.

Warning: readers may find the content in this article distressing. Rape Crisis runs a 24-hour helpline every day of the year. You can call for free on 0808 500 222, or chat to someone online.

Carrick used his “power and control” as a police officer to carry out the “violent and brutal” sex attacks. Tom Little KC, prosecuting, told the court: “It did not matter to him who the victim was - she could be a new girlfriend, long term partner, a friend from a sport club, a police officer he worked with - if he had the opportunity, he would rape, sexually abuse or assault them, and humiliate them.”

In the case of one victim, he told her he “was the safest person she could be with” before holding a handgun to her head and raping her repeatedly. With another victim, he threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work issued firearm, saying, “remember I am the boss”. He also used a whip “as punishment” and would lock the woman in a small cupboard under the stairs naked.

Mr Little told the court that sexual assaults often took place in close proximity to family members of victims. He added that Carrick frequently relied on his charm at the outset to beguile and mislead the victims, then use his power and control - in part because of his work as a police officer - to stop them leaving or consider reporting him. He told the court Carrick was no doubt aware that his victims would conclude they would be unlikely to be believed if they were to come forward on their own and claim that a Met Police officer had raped them.

Here we cover what Mr Little told Southwark Crown Court about the victims’ experiences of Carrick.

Victim 1

Victim 1 met Carrick at a bar. He invited her back to his house under the pretence he was having a housewarming party, telling her: “Come on, you can trust me. I am the safest person you can be around. I am a police officer.” When they arrived at his home, no one else was there - and no one arrived for the remainder of the night.

When she tried to leave, she found the door locked. He told her she could not go, grabbed her by the hair, put his hand on her mouth, and dragged her backwards. She bit his arm in an attempt to escape, but he grabbed a black handgun, put it to her head, and said: “You are not going”. She froze.

He raped her multiple times over an extended period of time, to the point that it was getting light outside. After the assaults, he spoke to her about her parents, as if nothing had happened. The attack only finished when Carrick said he had to go to work and told her if she got her clothes, she could go. She got dressed, and he stood naked at the door and waved to her as if nothing had happened.

The victim went to A&E with multiple bite marks, in addition to bruising to the breasts, buttocks, ankles, wrists and thighs. She had clumps of hair missing, and was bleeding from her vagina. The victim told a nurse that it was a police officer who raped her, and the nurse said she needed to be ready if she was going to complain as it might not even go to court. She did not report the matter at the time as a result.

In her victim statement, she said she felt she had “encountered evil” on that night. She explained that in the “days, weeks, and months after, [she] couldn't move on from that night,” as she “kept seeing the gun he had pointed at me and remembering the cruel words he had used.” She added: “The memories of what he did have always been so very painful, but the truth of that night should be told, and he should be held accountable for his actions.”

Victim 2

Victim 2 was a police officer who worked with Carrick. One night, after they had been working late, he invited her to sleep at his house as she lived far away. She expected to have consensual vaginal intercourse, but he tried to penetrate her anally. She told him no, but he continued. She told him it hurt, but he said “this is what I do”.

She did not report it until 2021, admitting that “shame” had prevented her from doing so. She also said: “I wasn’t going to put myself through it which is hypocritical because I would encourage a rape victim to do it, but was not brave enough to do it myself.”

In her victim statement, she said she now finds it difficult to have relationships and cannot trust men. She also said the assault has left “an imprint on [her] memory that has caused undue anxiety and stress.”

Victim 3

The third victim Mr Little mentions met Carrick while working as a barmaid, when he was 12 years older than her. He was her first sexual partner. He raped her multiple times.

On one occasion, Carrick and the victim had been drinking with her friend. The victim went to bed, and she later came down to a scene which appeared to show that he and her friend had taken part in sexual activity. She returned to the bedroom and he followed her, saying he wanted sex. She said “no”, to which he replied, “if you don’t want it, she will”, before raping her. He also brandished a knife at her during a separate incident.

She thought she would not be believed if she reported the matter. She only came forward with her experience after he was charged with sexually abusing other people.

Victim 4

The fourth victim was at a club with Carrick, where she became upset because a previous boyfriend was there. He said they should leave. She agreed, and they went back to his house.

When they got there, he undressed and stood naked. She told him nothing was going to happen, but he threw her on the bed and penetrated her with his fingers. She ultimately managed to push him off and went downstairs, where she ordered a taxi. She also did not report the crime, thinking she would not be believed as he was a police officer.

She admitted in her victim statement that she struggles with blaming herself for the attack. She said: “To this day I still struggle to see myself as a victim, I feel like it was my fault in that I shouldn't have put myself in that position. I have come to realise that he manipulated me and got me in a position where I was vulnerable, and he shouldn't have done that.”

Victim 5

Carrick invited Victim 5 and her friend to his hotel because the taxi they were trying to get home was too expensive. When they got back, she and Carrick shared a bed - and her friend took the other. He started trying to engage in sexual activity, but she said no. He carried on anyway, and penetrated her with his finger.

She said in her victim statement that since her encounter with Carrick, she has endured “self-harm”, has lost friends, has put herself in “dangerous positions to be attacked”, “gave her body to be used and abused”, and considered suicide.

Victim 6

Victim 6 once witnessed Carrick chase a child that had a toy gun and push his head into a sofa. When challenged by the boy’s mother, Carrick stopped.

One night, she went back to Carrick’s, for what the victim assumed would be a “one night stand”. But he quickly became aggressive, and told her, “see if you can get me off you now.” She said: “It’s me, [redacted], your friend, what are you doing?” But he continued telling her to try to get out of the hold. He told her “let’s have sex”, and she thought she would get it over with so she could get out of the house. He was unable to have sex, which angered him.

She left the house - and remembered her handbag was still inside. She could not remember whether she went back in or whether he came outside - but she knew he gave her the handbag, and told her she was being hysterical. He said he needed to sleep before his shift tomorrow. She stated later when reporting the crime that she had never experienced aggression like that.

In her victim statement, she said she felt “foolish” for putting herself in the situation - but said she had thought “he was a police officer, so what wasn’t to trust?”

Victim 7

The seventh victim started speaking to Carrick through Facebook and WhatsApp, where he quickly told her he was a Met Police officer. They later agreed to meet, and he told her what to wear - a skirt and boots.

They later went to the races together and had consensual vaginal sex, but the victim was subsequently coerced into anal sex. When he started, she told him to stop as it hurt so much, but he carried on. She could not get up and could not get away. She repeatedly told him to stop but he continued. She did not feel like she could report as he was a police officer, and only felt comfortable coming forward when other victims did.

In her victim statement, she said after the assault, she was left feeling “vulnerable and confused” and “questioned [her] judgement on many things, especially new people coming into [her] life.” She said it took her a long time to allow anyone to get close to her again, both romantically and physically.

Victim 8

The eighth victim met Carrick on dating apps, where he said he would pay her £1,000 a month to “be his sl**”. She did not agree.

The victim knew something was not right but felt sorry for Carrick, because of problems he had with his parents. She thought if she showed him love she could fix him, however he became increasingly aggressive in bed. She would have to tell him she belonged to him frequently.

One night, he forced her to have anal sex - despite a recent operation - which caused extreme pain. She eventually managed to push him off. He also tried to cut her off from her friends and family, and control most aspects of her life - including what she drank and ate. She went from a size 14 to a size six in a couple of months.

Victim 9

Victim 9 said Carrick was controlling and possessive, and would control what she wore, what she spent money on, and what she ate. He told her she belonged to him, and referred to her as “his w****” and “his prostitute”. He threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work issued firearm, saying, “remember I am the boss”.

Carrick used a whip on her, which he gradually became more violent with. Sometimes, he used it on her as punishment when she had done something that had upset him. He also punished her by locking her in a small cupboard under the stairs.

One time, she was put in the cupboard because she had ordered a jumper - and he said he had not told her to order anything. While she was locked in, she had a panic attack, so asked to be let out. But he would not free her. He would not communicate with her while she was in the cupboard, and instead would stand outside and whistle. She was always made to strip naked before being put in the cupboard.

He raped her on at least 10 occasions, sometimes using his police handcuffs to cuff her hands behind her back. He would also regularly urinate in her mouth.

She said in her victim statement that following her encounters with Carrick, she went to “very dark places”. She continued: “I felt so dirty and so ashamed. My self-esteem and confidence were in tatters. I believed I was worthless and that I would never feel like my ‘normal’ self again.”

Victim 10

Carrick asked the tenth victim, who was working as a cleaner at the time, to clean his house. She was initially unsure - and questioned why he would ask her when he barely knew her. He told her he was a police officer, and had checked “she was okay”. So she agreed.

During this time, he was frequently inappropriate - sending her sexual text messages and sometimes appearing in the house naked, when she did not realise he was home. On one occasion, he walked into a room she was cleaning whilst naked and forced her to perform oral sex on him. She could not breathe during the assault, and threw up.

She said in her victim statement that her experience has meant anxiety “affects all aspects of her life”. She does not trust men - and worries constantly about her children going out and meeting new people.

Victim 11

The eleventh victim met Carrick through a dating site. She also started cleaning his house - and not long after she started, Carrick began calling her his “slave”. On one occasion, he asked her to take her clothes off while she was cleaning the house - and she said she was scared “because he was a police officer and liked to control her”.

Carrick orally raped her on at least three occasions - and on two of these she felt she could not breathe, threw up, and was forced to swallow her own vomit. During one assault, she ran away, screaming and crying, but he grabbed her hair and dragged her into the bathroom - where he urinated on her face and body. She was sick on the shower tiles afterwards.

In her victim statement, she said: “I wonder how someone can do this to me. All I want to do is cry my eyes out. This will stay with me for the rest of my life and I don't trust anyone anymore.”

Victim 12

Victim 12 also met Carrick online, and found he was initially charming towards her. However, things quickly deteriorated, and he sought to control every aspect of his life. She tried to stop seeing him several times, but he became aggressive and she was scared. He also threatened to report her to immigration if she left him.

He raped her several times - despite her saying “no, no”. He would ignore her and continue, and she described his personality as “changing” during sex. She would often cry after his assaults - and he would tell her what he had done was normal.

Rape Crisis runs a 24-hour helpline every day of the year. Call free on 0808 500 222 or chat to someone online. When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.