Former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick was unmasked as one of the UK’s worst sex offenders and convicted of crimes against 12 women over 17 years after police failed to investigate him on a number of occasions.
Four police officers and a staff member will face disciplinary proceedings after investigations into the handling of allegations against serial rapist David Carrick.
The Met Police announced in July last year it was carrying out four independent investigations into what actions were taken after four reports of serious offending were made against Carrick between 2002 and 2021, while he was a serving officer.
Carrick was eventually arrested in October 2021 and then jailed in February 2023.
A detective sergeant will face a gross misconduct hearing, while three other officers and a staff member will face misconduct hearings for alleged breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
Those facing disciplinary proceedings all worked in the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) at the time.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said its investigation “identified several missed opportunities to pursue misconduct investigations against him [Carrick].
“Had these matters been progressed appropriately, Carrick may have potentially faced gross misconduct proceedings and been dismissed from the force well before he was eventually arrested.”
Last year Carrick was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years in prison for 49 violent and sexual offences, including 24 counts of rape.
One of the UK’s worst sex offenders, Carrick was convicted of crimes against 12 women over 17 years.
He joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit in 2009.
He was finally sacked in January last year and was stripped of his state-funded Metropolitan Police pension this February.
He was finally brought to justice after nearly 20 years of offending because one of his victims was moved to come forward by a victim impact statement made by the mother of Sarah Everard, who was raped and murdered by another Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens.
A damning report by Baroness Louise Casey published last year found several “systematic failings” within the force in his case.
Among the missed opportunities, Carrick joined the Met despite prior allegations, having been accused of harassment and sexual assault against a former partner during his probationary period in 2002.
Two inspectors would have faced a misconduct meeting over this if they had not already retired, the IOPC said.
Between 2002 and 2008, Carrick was also subject to five complaints from members of the public – these complaints included: rudeness, incivility, and the use of force.
Carrick passed checks to become a firearms officer in 2009 despite a domestic incident five years earlier.
He was also previously arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2021.
The force has apologised, admitting the PC should have been rooted out earlier and there were not sufficient intelligence checks carried out in his case.
His exposure prompted a rethink of police vetting across the country.
