David Carrick sentencing: Inside rapist officer's home where he locked up and spied on women

Carrick told one woman he met in a London bar in 2003 "he was the safest person that she could be with" - Rags Martel reports

Images of the cupboard where serial rapist David Carrick shut one of his victims were released on Monday during the former Met Police officer's sentencing.

Carrick sat with his head bowed in the dock – as protesters gathered outside – to be sentenced over two days for 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape.

His crimes were carried out while he served in the Met, which he joined in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009.

A woman, who Carrick met on a night out with other officers, described his "heavy drinking" and said he would down two bottles of wine at home following a night shift before returning to work.

Carrick hit her with a whip and would shut her in a small cupboard as punishment while "whistling at her as if she was a dog", the court heard.

"He told her that she belonged to him and that she must obey him," Prosecutor Tom Little KC said.

"He threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work-issue firearm, saying, ‘Remember I am the boss’."

In court, details also emerged about how some victims were were urinated on or attacked with a belt while another had a gun held to her head.

Carrick told one woman he met in a London bar in 2003 "he was the safest person that she could be with and that he was a police officer” before taking her back to his nearby flat," Mr Little said. She "froze" when he put a black handgun to her head and said "you are not going" before repeatedly raping her, he told the court. During the attack, Carrick put his hands around her throat and said he would be the last thing she saw. The woman, who was left with bite marks, bruising and clumps of hair missing, told an A&E nurse she had been raped by a police officer, the court heard. But she was told she needed to be "ready" if she was going to complain and "she might be better to try to put it behind her and move on".

A woman, who met Carrick on dating website Badoo, described him as "acting like a monster when he was in drink", which was most of the time. The court heard Carrick would call her his "slave" and when he asked her to clean his house naked she was "scared" because he was a police officer.

Another woman, who Carrick met on a night out with other officers, described his "heavy drinking" and said he would down two bottles of wine at home following a night shift before returning to work. Carrick hit her with a whip and would shut her in a small cupboard as punishment while "whistling at her as if she was a dog", the court heard. "He told her that she belonged to him and that she must obey him," Prosecutor Tom Little KC said. "He threatened her with his police baton and sent her a photograph of his work-issue firearm, saying, ‘Remember I am the boss’."

Another woman was left feeling suicidal and "physically and mentally exhausted" after dropping from dress size 14 to a six in months after meeting Carrick on dating app Tinder, the court was told. He would watch her remotely using cameras installed at his home, cut her off from friends and family members and control how much she ate and when she slept, the prosecutor said.

The officer, who guarded sites including embassies and the Houses of Parliament, took training courses, including one on domestic abuse in 2005, the court heard.

The Met was forced to apologise and admit Carrick should have been rooted out earlier after it emerged he came to police attention over nine incidents – including allegations of rape, domestic violence and harassment – between 2000 and 2021, with all but one of the incidents relating to his behaviour towards women.

Carrick faced no criminal sanctions or misconduct findings and police chiefs across England and Wales have since been asked to have all officers checked against national police databases by the end of March.

He was finally sacked from the force last month after pleading guilty and being unmasked as one of the country’s most prolific sex offenders.

Carrick’s crimes are set to form part of the independent inquiry looking at the murder of Sarah Everard, who was raped and strangled by then-serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb is expected to sentence Carrick, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday after he previously pleaded guilty to 49 charges relating to 12 women between 2003 and 2020.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...