Police officers to face hearings after PC David Carrick repeatedly escaped justice

Carrick, 48, was finally jailed for life last year for 49 offences, including 24 rapes, perpetrated against 12 women during his police career, having come to the attention of police in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021

Four police officers face disciplinary proceedings after serial rapist PC David Carrick was repeatedly cleared over sex abuse.

Carrick, 48, was finally jailed for life last year for 49 offences, including 24 rapes, perpetrated against 12 women during his police career. He had come to the attention of the police in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

On Monday the Independent Office for Police Conduct said that a detective sergeant should face a gross misconduct hearing. A further three officers and a staff member will face misconduct meetings for alleged breaches of police standards.

The cases relate to failing to progress investigations against Carrick after a string of complaints of serious offending were made about him over 19 years while he was a serving officer. All four worked in the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards, which inspired hit BBC drama Line of Duty's fictional AC-12.

IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Our thoughts continue to be with all of the women who were victims of this serial predator. Our investigations into alleged failures to investigate reports made against David Carrick were comprehensive and identified several missed opportunities to pursue misconduct investigations against him.

"In all cases we identified that officers failed to properly explore, investigate or oversee the misconduct investigations against Carrick, who never faced any disciplinary proceedings despite being the subject of serious criminal allegations on multiple occasions.

“Had these matters been progressed appropriately, Carrick may have potentially faced gross misconduct proceedings and been dismissed from the force well before he was eventually arrested.

“Four officers and a member of police staff will now face disciplinary proceedings, including one officer who will face a gross misconduct hearing, while two more former officers would have faced disciplinary meetings had they not retired from the force.”

The watchdog said last year that it was taking the "unusual step" of opening the four separate investigations after the Met decided that none were necessary. Wiltshire officers Insp David Tippetts and PC Emma Fisher were given final written warnings in June for failing to adequately investigate an allegation against Carrick.

The IOPC found PC Fisher had not looked into sex abuse allegations against Carrick in 2016. If she had checked, she would have seen other complaints about Carrick, then a Met officer. But she closed the investigation with the blessing of her superior.