David Carrick

David Carrick (born 4 January 1975) is an English serial rapist and former police officer in the Metropolitan Police. He joined the police force in 2001 and worked as an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) branch from 2009 until his suspension and subsequent sacking from his position in 2021. The case is being examined as part of the broader independent public inquiry being chaired by Lady Elish Angiolini.

Following his arrest, Carrick pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape between 2002 and 2021. In 2023, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of more than thirty years. He received an additional life sentence in 2025 after two more victims came forward.

Early life and education David Carrick was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on 4 January 1975. At the time of his birth, Carrick's parents, a cleaner and a Royal Artillery soldier, lived at Bulford military camp in Wiltshire. initially serving as a response officer in South London, before he joined the armed Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) branch in 2009.

Although both the Met and other British police forces received multiple complaints about his behaviour, including an investigation for domestic abuse in 2002, Carrick degraded his victims via physical abuse with a belt, imprisonment in small spaces, urinating on them and rape. In May 2022, he was held on remand at HM Prison Belmarsh in south-east London. Carrick then pleaded guilty to 49 charges, including 24 of rape; Crown Prosecution Service Chief Prosecutor Jaswant Narwal was quoted as stating "the scale of the degradation Carrick subjected his victims to is unlike anything I have encountered in my 34 years with the Crown Prosecution Service".

Carrick's sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court began on 6 February 2023. The following day, he received 36 life sentences with a minimum term of 30 years plus 239 days, meaning he must serve that time in prison before becoming eligible for parole. He will become eligible for parole on 2 May 2052.

On 8 February 2023, the Attorney General's Office announced that, after "multiple requests", they would be reviewing the sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. On 3 March, Michael Tomlinson, the Solicitor General for England and Wales, said that he was satisfied the sentencing judge, Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, "gave careful and detailed consideration to all the features of this case" when deciding how much time Carrick would spend in prison, and that the sentencing would not be sent to the Court of Appeal for review.

In July 2023 it was announced that six of Carrick's victims were intending to sue the Metropolitan Police for breaching their human rights by failing to investigate properly.

On 20 July 2023 the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that it was starting four investigations into the way the Metropolitan Police had handled complaints against Carrick. The IOPC also announced that it was conducting a similar investigation into Wiltshire Police. On 18 October 2023, it was reported that a total of 12 serving and former police officers were being investigated for misconduct in relation to the handling of allegations made against Carrick. On 7 June 2024, it was reported that two police officers from Wiltshire Police had been issued with final written warnings over how they had failed to investigate an allegation of sexual abuse made against Carrick in 2016.

On 7 October 2024, it was reported that Carrick had been charged with more offences. These included five counts of indecent assault of a girl under 14 in Salisbury that took place in 1989 and 1990. Carrick was also charged with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour of another woman between 2014 and 2019 in Stevenage. Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, set a provisional trial date of 3 November 2025 and another pre-trial hearing was due to take place on 14 March 2025. The trial of Carrick for these charges began on 4 November 2025 at the Old Bailey, and on 19 November he was found guilty on all counts. The next day Carrick was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years.

Outline of victims, offending, offences and sentences The following details regarding the victims and the background to the offences, as well as the specific counts on the indictments and sentences are taken from the sentencing remarks by sentencing judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb.