Key events
Summary
We’re closing this live blog now. Thanks for reading. Here’s a summary of the latest developments:
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The serial rapist former Metropolitan police officer David Carrick has been told he will serve more than 30 years in prison before he can be considered for release. Carrick was given 36 life sentences for his 17-year campaign of terror and attacks against women, with a minimum term set at 32 years – less time served on remand.
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Sentencing Carrick, the judge told him he had been “brought low” by the survivors of his years of violent sexual attacks. “These women are not weak or ineffectual. 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,” she said.
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Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, told the BBC the sentencing came “17 years, 12 victims and at least and 85 offences too late”. She said: The courage and bravery [of the women who came forward] should be commended and that will send a message to other women in that situation that justice can be achieved.”
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The Scotland Yard chief, Sir Mark Rowley, claimed the force would win back the trust of women shaken by the revelation of Carrick’s crimes. “We have let down women across London but we are more determined than ever to put it right. I have been clear, we will rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity by bringing the same intensive investigative approach to identifying wrongdoing in our own ranks as we do to identifying criminals in the community,” he said.
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The home secretary, Suella Braverman, described Carrick’s crimes as a “scar on our police”. She said: “It is vital we uncover how he was able to wear the uniform for so long, and I welcome the Angiolini inquiry’s investigation into David Carrick’s criminal behaviour and the decision-making around his vetting.”
The full report from my colleagues Vikram Dodd and Emine Sinmaz is here:
Scotland Yard commissioner says he hopes to win back women’s trust in the police
The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, claims he will “earn back the trust and confidence of women”. Speaking after the sentencing, he said:
I and tens of thousands of officers and staff in the Met are horrified by this man’s crimes and recognise this will shake Londoners’ trust too. We have let down women across London but we are more determined than ever to put it right.
I have been clear, we will rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity by bringing the same intensive investigative approach to identifying wrongdoing in our own ranks as we do to identifying criminals in the community. Some other police services are starting to confront similar issues.
Addressing systemic failures will take time, but we will be determined and relentless in rooting out the corrupt. Lifting the stone and confronting what we find beneath, will result in more difficult cases coming to light. We need the support of Londoners to get through it.
This is not the time for me to lay out in detail the actions we are taking to root out those who corrupt our integrity. Today is about the victims’ fight for justice.
On 31 March, we will be sharing the progress we have made on rooting out those who corrupt our integrity. We will earn back the trust and confidence of women and give Londoners the police service they deserve.
David Carrick’s crimes were unspeakably evil. The detail is harrowing.
He subjected these victims and survivors to the most degrading and inhumane treatment and yet they still showed the courage to come forward and to provide the evidence that led to his conviction.
He exploited his position as a police officer in the most disgusting way. He should not have been a police officer. We weren’t rigorous enough in our approach and as a result we missed opportunities to identify the warning signs over decades. I want to again reiterate my apology on behalf of the Met. We are truly sorry.
I recognise that as a result of this case and other prominent recent cases, there are women whose trust in the police is profoundly shaken.
Continuing his statement on the steps outside Southwark crown court Burt told reporters:
With each report that came in we had a clearer picture of who Carrick was and what he had done.
The similarities between the victim accounts, detailing mental and physical torment at the hands of the same man, were our case. We would not be where we are today without you, the victims, taking that step forward and providing us with the vital evidence needed to prosecute Carrick.
With your help, the Crown Prosecution Service worked with the investigation team at Hertfordshire constabulary to build such a strong case that Carrick had no choice but to plead guilty.
We know there are victims of other rape and serious sexual offences out there and that many of you may be worried about being believed or whether you’ll ever see justice done.
We understand these concerns and want to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to improve how these offences are handled and are determined to see justice done for more victims of violence against women and girls.
We hope seeing Carrick, a prolific abuser, manipulator and rapist, behind bars will encourage other women to come forward, knowing we will do all we can to hold the person responsible to account for their crime.
Here’s some more on those comments from the head of the complex casework unit at CPS Thames and Chiltern (see: 1.02pm). Peter Burt said:
Today is about recognising the outstanding bravery of the victims.
It often takes courage for anyone to come forward and report a rape but in this case, to overcome the mental and physical oppression they endured, may have felt insurmountable at times.
We’ve heard the accounts of the women who suffered at Carrick’s hands. He took away their control, their right to choose, their freedom, in some cases both physically and mentally.
We cannot undo the pain and anguish of what they have endured, but I hope they can take this as a first step to rebuilding their lives knowing he can’t harm them, or any other woman.
We are so grateful to every woman who has come forward and supported this case.
Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, has told the BBC that, while the sentence is an “acceptable sentence in a very, very unacceptable situation”, it comes “17 years, 12 victims and at least and 85 offences too late”.
The broadcaster reports that Nazeer praised Carrick’s victims and said today’s sentencing was only possible due to the “courage, commitment and determination of those women who went up against an agent of the law”.
It is very hard to do that, even when you’re not up against a police officer. The courage and bravery should be commended and that will send a message to other women in that situation that justice can be achieved.
Here’s some more detail on the sentencing remarks from Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, who told Carrick earlier today (see 12.09pm):
I have read the statements made by 10 of the 12 victims, both as to their experiences and the impact it has had. There is powerful and compelling evidence of irretrievable devastation in the lives of those you abused.
Survivors of rape and coercive control react and cope in different ways. Those differences are apparent in the statements. Each one is traumatised. One woman feels as if she has been lost for the last 19 years, encapsulating her experience with you as an encounter with evil which has caused long-lasting psychological harm.
Denial, anger, hatred, betrayal, shame, self-blame and fear of being labelled a victim, are common emotions. You have shaped their lives, deprived them of the ability to trust men and form relationships.
Some have damaged mental health and suffer loneliness. They continue to question their own judgment. They don’t trust the police. Some have tried to get back control by behaving in dangerous ways; self-harming, interfering with their own health and relationships, pushing boundaries and almost destroying trust in those they value the most.
Those you controlled are trying to recover their self-esteem and lost relationships; including with a daughter who self-harms and still has nightmares because of your abuse of her mother.
These women are not weak or ineffectual. 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 home secretary Suella Braverman has described Carrick’s crimes as a “scar on our police”. She adds:
It is only right that he now faces at least 30 years behind bars. I pay tribute to the brave women who have come forward to hold him to account for his vile abuse.
It is vital we uncover how he was able to wear the uniform for so long, and I welcome the Angiolini inquiry’s investigation into David Carrick’s criminal behaviour and the decision-making around his vetting.
There is no place in our police for such heinous and predatory behaviour, and I look forward to receiving Lady Elish’s findings.
Carrick’s crimes were all carried out while he was a serving police officer. He passed vetting checks to guard sites including embassies and the Houses of Parliament and completed training courses, including one on domestic abuse in 2005.
The Met was forced to apologise and admit Carrick should have been rooted out earlier after it emerged he came to police attention over nine separate incidents between 2000 and 2021 – and was known to colleagues as “Bastard Dave”.
They included allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment with all but one of the incidents relating to his behaviour towards women.
Carrick faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings and police chiefs across England and Wales have since been asked to have all officers checked against national police databases by the end of March.
He was finally sacked from the force last month after his final guilty pleas and his crimes are set to form part of the independent inquiry looking at the murder of Sarah Everard, who was raped and strangled by then-serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
The case is the latest in a string of damaging scandals for the Met, including Everard’s murder, racist and misogynist messages exchanged by a team at Charing Cross, and the strip-search of a teenage girl at school while she was menstruating.
Carrick sat in the dock with his eyes closed and head bowed during the hearing in a packed courtroom, including some of his victims, and showed no emotion as he was sentenced.
Peter Burt, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service complex casework unit in Thames and Chiltern, said:
We’ve heard the accounts of the women who suffered at Carrick’s hands. We cannot undo the pain they have endured, but we hope this can be a first step to rebuilding their lives knowing he can’t harm them – or any other woman – again.
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said:
David Carrick should never have been allowed to become a police officer or stay in policing for so long. His crimes are devastating, and our thoughts will be with his victims and their families today.
A major overhaul of police standards is desperately needed but there has been a serious failure by Conservative ministers to take action. After Sarah Everard’s murder, we were promised change. But there are still no compulsory vetting requirements and progress on driving up standards has been far too slow, letting down the victims and police officers who work so hard to keep communities safe.
Labour will not sit back and leave the work to police forces. The next Labour government will change the law to make national rules on police vetting, misconduct and training mandatory for every police force. That will include an automatic suspension when allegations of serious crimes like rape and domestic abuse are made.
We owe it to the victims in this hideous case to take the strongest action on police standards and that’s what Labour will deliver.
Sadiq Khan, whose role as mayor of London gives him oversight of the Met, has said:
My thoughts are with Carrick’s victims today. I want to pay tribute to their bravery and courage. By coming forward they have helped to protect the public and rid the Met police of a dangerous and prolific offender who abused his position as a police officer in the worst possible way.
This should never have been allowed to happen and must never happen again. There can be no hiding place for those who abuse their position of trust and authority within the police. I want to reassure the public and all the brave officers and staff who want to speak out that under the new commissioner any allegation of misconduct will be taken seriously and handled sensitively. I urge people to come forward to report any unacceptable behaviour.
I support the renewed action being taken by the commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to review past misconduct cases and I welcome the widening of the Angiolini inquiry to consider Carrick’s crimes and look at vetting and recruitment procedures and the extent of misogynistic culture in policing.
I’ll continue to support and hold the Met to account to ensure we root out all those who are unfit to serve as police officers and deliver the urgent reforms and step change in culture and performance required. As mayor, I will not be satisfied until Londoners have the police service they deserve.
For clarity, Carrick’s minimum term was set as 32 years. He has already served some time in custody and this is removed from the sentence to be served.
In their statements, his victims spoke of how they had “encountered evil”, and the court was told Carrick sent one of his victims a photograph of himself with a work-issue gun, saying: “Remember I am the boss.”
The court also heard how he told another woman he was the “safest person that she could be with and that he was a police officer” before taking her back to his nearby flat to rape her.
The sexual predator previously admitted 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape and charges of sexual assault, controlling and coercive behaviour and false imprisonment.