On Monday, a police officer in London, England admitted to “dozens” of sex offenses, including 24 counts of rape, that occurred over the course of around two decades.
David Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to 49 offenses, including the counts of rape, and other sexual assault charges during an appearance at London’s Southwark Crown Court, according to the New York Post:
David Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 charges of sexual assault — including 24 rape counts — during an appearance at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday. The heinous crimes were committed between 2003 and 2020.
The serial rapist, 47, admitted multiple counts of rape, violence and sexual assault against 12 different women. The disgraced cop was previously slapped with over 80 sexual abuse charges — including at least 48 counts of rape — last month.
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has apologized for “failing” to prosecute Carrick over his previous nine incidents, including rape and domestic violence allegations.
London cop called 'one of history's worst sex offenders' pleads guilty to slew of rape charges https://t.co/RJbFMbVdUN pic.twitter.com/aZqpNP5ppe
— New York Post (@nypost) January 17, 2023
Carrick “used his position to coerce and control his victims,” according to Fox News. He often used dating sites and social occasions to meet women and “gain their trust.”
The Post noted that several victims told the Court that Carrick would “lock them in a closet under the stairs in his home for hours on end without food.” He would “physically abuse and demean” some of his victims,” and “controlled some of them financially and in some cases, made sure the women cut off contact with other men and their children entirely.”
Carrick was reportedly suspended from his job after a rape complaint was made against him in October 2021. Previously, Carrick was investigated over complaints made about him in 2001 and 2017, but no charges were filed.
“We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation,” the Met police said in a statement published Monday. “We are truly sorry that Carrick was able to continue to use his role as a police officer to prolong the suffering of his victims.”
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley issued a separate statement apologizing to Carrick’s victims and for failing to prosecute Carrick over previous incidents.
"We failed as investigators where we should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades,” the statement read.
“This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. We’ve let women and girls down, and indeed we’ve let Londoners down,” Rowley added. “We have failed. And I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer.”