David Carrick, a former Metropolitan Police officer already serving time as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, has been given an additional life sentence for further sex crimes.
A Pattern of Abuse Uncovered
The 50-year-old ex-armed officer was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday 20 November 2025 after being convicted of new charges. Mrs Justice McGowan imposed another life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years, to run concurrently with his existing punishment.
Carrick was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault, two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of controlling or coercive behaviour. These latest convictions relate to him molesting a 12-year-old girl in the late 1980s and raping a former partner more than 20 years later during a toxic relationship.
A History of Missed Opportunities
This case has caused significant public anger, particularly as it emerged that multiple chances to stop Carrick were missed during his police career. Carrick is already serving 36 life sentences after pleading guilty in 2022 and 2023 to 71 sexual offences, including 48 rapes, against 12 women over 17 years.
He had received a minimum term of 32 years in prison in 2023 for those crimes. Carrick joined the Met Police in 2001 and became an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit in 2009, a position he held while committing many of his offences.
Institutional Failures
The repeated failure to identify and stop Carrick's offending while he served as a police officer has raised serious questions about vetting and oversight within the Metropolitan Police. His case represents one of the most severe examples of a serving officer using his position to commit and conceal horrific crimes.
The latest sentencing confirms Carrick's status as one of the UK's worst sex offenders, with his pattern of abuse spanning decades and affecting numerous victims.
