Victim of Met Police rapist David Carrick urges other survivors to 'speak up'

Met Police rapist David Carrick’s victim who he assaulted when she was just 12 has spoken for the first time about the horrific abuse she suffered as she issues a plea for others to come forward. Serial sex offender Carrick, 50, was last week sentenced to a 37th life sentence for molesting the schoolgirl in the late 1980s, plus another woman. They are the monster’s 13th and 14th known victims. The former armed officer was already serving a minimum of 32 years after admitting 71 offences, including 48 rapes, over 17 years. Bravely speaking to the Mirror in her first interview, his young victim, now a mum in her 40s, tells fellow -survivors: “Don’t let him bully you. He’s got no hold over you. For your own sanity, you’ve got to speak up.” And the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, believes there are more sadistic officers hiding within the Met’s ranks, saying: “There is another David.” A jury earlier this month found Carrick guilty of five counts of sexual assault for molesting the victim over an 18-month period when he was just 14. The court heard he put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and “trapped” her between a chair and a sofa. The abuse got so bad she slept on the floor behind her bedroom door out of fear he would enter at night. She eventually plucked up the courage to tell her mother. On the impact of the abuse, she says: “It’s ruined everything – my -relationships, my ability to trust people. I’m always hypervigilant. It’s also exacerbated my mental health problems and made things much harder to deal with – how I function day to day, my sleep, absolutely everything.” When the news first broke of Carrick’s offending in 2022, her trauma came flooding back. She says: “I started drinking again, my children lost respect for me and one was taken into care. He’s now back home but I still have no relationship with my middle son and daughter – and that’s all down to the impact of David’s actions.” The woman says a key opportunity to catch Carrick before he became a police officer was missed. She says she told an NHS counsellor about the abuse 35 years ago but claims no action was taken against him. It emerged during the most recent trial that Carrick had confessed to abusing the girl in a letter dated August 1990 that was signed “Dave” and was found in his medical records. The woman later received a written apology after making a formal complaint to the NHS. But she maintains officials could have intervened to stop Carrick joining the force. He went on to serve in the Met’s armed elite parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, guarding important premises. The judge who sentenced him in 2023 at Southwark crown court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, told Carrick he had taken “monstrous advantage” of his position in the police and had “behaved as if [he] were untouchable”. The victim says: “It should never have been allowed to happen. Had he been stopped, he wouldn’t have had the power to offend in the way that he did. He could well have gone on to offend but having a warrant card gave him a sense of authority and control that he otherwise wouldn’t have had.” Carrick pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the girl at trial at the Old Bailey earlier this month and branded her a liar when she testified. She says: “I knew he’d do that. I told the police he would [plead] not guilty because David’s got no remorse and for him it’s all about power. “That’s why I kept my impact -statement short. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing anything about me. He’s had enough hold over my life for too long.” The jury found Carrick guilty of five counts of indecent assault against her between April 1989 and August 1990. He was also convicted of two counts of rape against another woman, once in 2019 and once between December 2014 and April 2016, as well as sexual assault and coercive and controlling behaviour. Prosecuting, lawyer Shilpa Shah told the court it was clear both women “endured relentless abuse to which they did not consent”. Despite welcoming the guilty verdict, the victim believes there are other abusive officers in the Met. Her view was cemented after she watched a BBC Panorama documentary, aired last month, about a toxic, misogynistic culture at London’s Charing Cross police station. She says: “Of course, without question, there’s another David in the Met – 100% there is. Watching Panorama was a proper eye-opener. It’s clear [Carrick] fitted in well there [at the Met]. It made me realise nothing has changed.” She adds: “I know the commissioner has made lots of -promises for things to improve but you can’t just talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.” However, hearing the jury say Carrick was guilty has at least brought her some closure. And despite the agony of the last three decades, she is determined put the ordeal behind her and start rebuilding her life. She says: “It’s done, I can now move on and wipe the slate clean. Everything he said has no -relevance to me now. I just want it gone… I’ve had enough of him and am sick of hearing his name. This has made me more of a fighter and a stronger person. I now want to prioritise my family.” And she hopes that by sharing her story, she will give abuse survivors the courage to come forward. She adds: “I’d also like to advocate for other victims. If I can help even just one person, I will.”