No Met Police officers under investigation over David Carrick failings

No Metropolitan Police officers are facing disciplinary action over the failings that allowed David Carrick, the serial rapist, to get away with his crimes, it has emerged.

The former Scotland Yard armed officer will be sentenced on Monday and Tuesday, in a two-day hearing, after pleading guilty to 49 sex offences last month.

An independent review has been ordered into the Met’s handling of the case after it emerged that police missed nine opportunities to identify Carrick’s offending.

However, despite previously stating that three specific blunders had been referred to the police watchdog for further investigation, The Telegraph has learned that no individual officers are currently under scrutiny.

Scotland Yard bosses have said they believe any mistakes were down to “processes and approaches” rather than the failings of individuals and so have not made any misconduct referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Reign of terror

Carrick’s 17-year reign of terror began in 2003, two years after he joined the Met.

But in Nov 2002, while he was still in his probation period, he was accused of actual bodily harm following an attack on a girlfriend who wanted to end their relationship.

She reported the matter to his bosses in Scotland Yard, but no action was taken against him.

The Met officers responsible for the oversight have since retired, so the IOPC said it would not be in the public interest to take matters further.

In 2019, Carrick was reported to Hertfordshire Constabulary over allegations of assault and criminal damage following a row with his girlfriend at the time, during which he grabbed her around the neck and dragged her out of his house.

Scotland Yard’s department of professional standards was informed and the matter was sent to his own Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit to examine.

However, it was swiftly determined that the matter did not constitute gross misconduct and he was simply offered some words of advice, suggesting in future he told his bosses about such off-duty incidents.

Two years later in 2021, Carrick was arrested on suspicion of rape just days after Wayne Couzens, his Met colleague, had admitted murdering Sarah Everard.

But rather than being suspended, he was simply placed on restricted duties and when the victim withdrew the complaint, the Met concluded he had no case to answer.

While the officers involved in those errors are understood to be still serving, they have not been referred to the IOPC for investigation.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “We have asked the IOPC to review our overall handling of all matters related to David Carrick. But as the referral does not relate to the actions of a specific officer or to a specific conduct matter, they may determine that it does not meet the criteria for a referral to them.”

The statement went on: “After Carrick was arrested in 2021, we reviewed the occasions on which he had come to the attention of the police and the actions that had been taken at the time.

“Concerns were raised about the handling of an allegation of harassment and assault in 2002 by officers who have now retired.

“We highlighted these concerns to the IOPC. However, due to the passage of time, they determined that it would not be in the public interest for them to take any further action.”

The statement added: “The review also identified concerns about the handling of an allegation of assault in 2019 and an arrest on suspicion of rape in July 2021.

“These concerns relate to the processes and approaches in place at the time, rather than the actions of any individual officers. The matters were referred to the IOPC, but as we had not identified any misconduct on the part of a specific officer, the referrals did not meet the acceptance criteria.”

Last year, the IOPC asked all forces involved in the Carrick case to identify whether there had been any failures to investigate or prosecute him.

A spokesman for the IOPC said: “All forces have confirmed their reviews are complete and advised there are no issues which meet criteria for a valid conduct referral.

“However, given the breadth and depth of Carrick’s offending, we are assessing all the information provided to us by those forces to satisfy ourselves independently that there are no issues which meet that criteria. We will consider any next steps following this assessment.”

Met apologises for ‘letting victims down’

Ahead of Carrick’s sentencing, Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, the Met’s lead for professionalism, said she was truly sorry for the harm and devastation Carrick had caused his victims.

She said: “We let them down and we failed to identify a man in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service who carried out the most awful offences. He should not have been a police officer.

“In the weeks since he pleaded guilty, we have spoken about our genuine and urgent commitment to address the systemic failings that have been identified by our own reviews, by those of His Majesty’s Inspectorate and Baroness Casey [of Blackstock, the author of a report that criticised the Met’s misconduct process].

“We are determined to root out those who corrupt our integrity. That work is already under way.”

Asst Commissioner Gray added: “In the coming weeks, we will be speaking in more detail about the important progress we have already made and what our next steps will be.

“The next two days, however, are about the victims. They have shown such courage in speaking out. They truly deserve to have their voices heard and see justice done.”

Victim calls for life sentence

Meanwhile, the first of Carrick’s victims to waive her anonymity has said he should be locked up for the rest of his life.

Darciane Nunes Da Silva, 43, told the Sunday People: “I would like him to get 40 years in jail. I think that would be fair because I know some of his victims lost 20 years because of what he did. He needs to be punished.

“I don’t believe he can ever change and I worry that if he gets out, he will hurt someone else. But I hope by then, he will be so old he won’t be able to.”