Carrick admitted dozens of rapes, against 12 victims between 2003 and 2020, while he was a serving police officer, and was handed a sentence that means he cannot apply for parole until he has served at least 30 years in prison. However, Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid told the BBC in a statement that the verdict comes “17 years, 12 victims and at least 85 offences too late”.

“David Carrick told women they wouldn’t be believed, he threatened women with weapons he was licensed to carry due to his status as a police officer, he was protected by a culture that silenced victims,” added Ruth Davison, CEO of charity Refuge.

“That Carrick could remain a serving officer for so long whilst he perpetrated this gross abuse of power and horrific crimes against women, is terrifying. There were numerous opportunities where Carrick’s predatory behaviour was recorded and complaints were made. Every single one of them should have raised the alarm. But none of them were taken seriously and no action was taken. Carrick was able to continue in post and further abuse more and more women. He should have been stopped sooner.

“David Carrick was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison today, but this is not about one individual perpetrator, any officer accused of crimes of this magnitude against women and girls must be suspended and urgently investigated, not empowered to commit multiple crimes against multiple women over such a long time period.”

Rapist ex-Met policeman David Carrick has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years