A police officer still on duty in London has admitted to committing 24 rapes in abuses over nearly two decades against women, making him one of Britain’s most numerous sex offenders.
The Metropolitan Police and the British Public Prosecution Service said David Carrick, 48, had used his position to control his victims, intimidating them and telling them that any complaint against him would not be heard.
The Metropolitan Police, already suffering from a collapse of public confidence in them after a string of scandals, apologized for failing to expose the abuse earlier.
“This man has abused women in the most despicable way. It is disgusting. He has failed women and girls and Londoners too,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a statement. “We failed. I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have been a police officer,” he added.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the case as “appalling”, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there were important questions to be answered after Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 charges against 12 victims between 2003 and 2020.
“This is a horrific case. The prime minister expresses his solidarity with all the victims,” Sunak’s spokesman said.
“The police force must root out these officers to restore the public’s trust, which has been shattered by such events,” he added.
