London Police Officer Sentenced to Life for Rape and Sexual Abuse

LONDON — A London police officer was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for violence against 12 women over a 17-year period, a series of attacks in which a judge said he took “monstrous advantage” of his victims as he abused his power as a police officer.

The case of the officer, David Carrick, is the latest in a series of harrowing episodes of violence against women that have led to calls for serious change at the Metropolitan Police, the force that covers London. The service has been accused of allowing a culture of misogyny to thrive and of failing to address violence against women and girls by members of its ranks.

In one of the most disturbing episodes, in 2021, a serving London police officer, Wayne Couzens, was sentenced to life in prison for the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, a case that prompted national soul-searching and ignited calls for reforms.

Mr. Carrick, 48, was sentenced in Southwark Criminal Court in London on Tuesday afternoon after a two-day hearing. Before handing down the sentence, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb described how Mr. Carrick “took monstrous advantage of women” he was in a relationship with and “brazenly raped them.”

Mr. Carrick was sentenced to life and must serve a minimum of 30 years and 239 days in prison.

“You behaved as if you were untouchable,” the judge told Mr. Carrick, adding that he had carried out a series of attacks that began almost immediately after he became a police officer, and she noted that he had referred to his job repeatedly while assaulting his victims.

Mr. Carrick pleaded guilty last month to 49 charges of crimes against 12 women from 2003 to 2020, including 24 counts of rape, numerous charges of sexual assault, controlling and coercive behavior, and false imprisonment.