Former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick has been given a 37th life sentence for a series of predatory sex crimes, including child sexual abuse dating back 35 years and the repeated rape of a woman while he served as an armed officer.
A Pattern of Predatory Behaviour
Carrick, now 50, was a teenager in the late 1980s when he indecently assaulted a 12-year-old girl. The court heard that the abuse continued for approximately 18 months before the victim confided in her mother. Carrick even confessed to these acts in a signed letter recovered from his medical records, where he admitted the girl's account was "true".
More than two decades later, while working for the Met, Carrick entered a relationship with a woman he met on a dating website. Initially appearing "charming", he soon became controlling and violently abusive, repeatedly raping her between 2014 and 2019.
Justice Served at the Old Bailey
These latest offences came to light after Carrick had already pleaded guilty in 2022 and 2023 to a staggering 71 sexual offences, including 48 rapes, against 12 women over a 17-year period. For those crimes, he is already serving 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 32 years.
At the latest hearing at the Old Bailey, Carrick was found guilty of two counts of rape, one of sexual assault, and coercive and controlling behaviour against the second woman. He was also convicted of five counts of indecent assault relating to the child victim.
Despite his previous written confession, Carrick denied the historic child abuse allegations, labelling his young victim a liar. He also claimed his sexual encounters with the second woman were consensual and accused her of being motivated by the MeToo movement.
Sentencing and Aftermath
On Thursday, Mrs Justice McGowan handed Carrick another life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years, to run concurrently with his existing sentences. The judge praised the "courage and resilience" of the victims and condemned Carrick's "cynical willingness" to force them to give evidence by denying his guilt.
She stated that the early child sex attacks were the "first examples to come to light of your disposition to commit predatory sexual crimes" and confirmed she had "no doubt that you are dangerous".
Following the verdict, senior Crown prosecutor Shilpa Shah described Carrick as a "manipulative, controlling and abusive man" who hid behind a facade of charm. Detective Superintendent Iain Moor of Hertfordshire Constabulary expressed his hope that the verdict would aid the victims' recovery. Police have urged any other victims of Carrick's offending to come forward.
