David Carrick: Victim of serial rapist police officer describes months of physical and mental abuse

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2023

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A victim of serial rapist policeman David Carrick has told Sky News how he used his job as a firearms officer to gain her trust before subjecting her to months of physical and mental abuse, telling her: “The safest place you can be is with me.”

This article contains details of abuse that some people may find distressing.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, the woman said Carrick boasted about his job in the Metropolitan Police, but later went on to repeatedly rape and assault her over the course of their relationship.

The former firearms officer also shot the victim’s young daughter with a BB gun, causing injuries “because he said she was being naughty”, the woman said.

She said Carrick’s controlling behaviour included him starving her and her daughter and placing several surveillance cameras around his home to track their movements while he was at work.

“He would only allow me to have two protein bars a day because he wanted me to be weak and he would watch us on the cameras while he was at work. His eyes were always on us,” she said.

“Once I started eating a pack of blueberries, but he called me and went mad screaming ‘What do you think you are doing?!’

“He said he could see me on the cameras eating something I shouldn’t be.”

The victim said Carrick used to boast about protecting the Queen at Windsor Castle and Barack Obama when he was US president on state visits and how he regularly used to protect prime ministers.

‘He was so charming’

Carrick met the victim on a dating app and immediately said he was a police officer to gain her trust.

“At first, he was the dream man. He was so charming. But over time that changed. His eyes changed. He was evil.

“I have no idea how someone so f***** up can be a police officer, never mind give him a gun. If he shot anyone I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The victim said she was introduced to his Met colleagues at a pub in London for off-duty drinks but was not allowed to talk.

“When I started to speak to his friends he would stop me,” she said.

“He didn’t want me talking to anyone. A couple of his colleagues reached out to me after that. A couple have been in touch since his arrest as well.”

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Repeated rapes over months

The woman was one of many victims who lived with Carrick at his home during their relationship.

Shortly after moving in, Carrick bought permanent window shutters so no one would see in or out.

The victim told Sky News: “In the morning I wanted to get up and start working but he wouldn’t let me. He closed the shutters and said I had to rest because of what he would do to me later. He said he wanted me to have energy.

“He was so manipulating – he knew what he was doing.”

Carrick repeatedly raped her over the course of several months, causing injuries, and urinated over her.

“After he raped me, he would say: ‘Don’t pretend you didn’t want it as much as me.’

“He was such a horrible person. He used to drink wine bottles at a time, saying work was stressing him. He said he hated foreigners.

“One time I wanted to see my friend dying in hospital of cancer and he just told me to let him die.”

Women’s refuge refused to help

The victim said she reached out to a local women’s refuge but that it refused to help after hearing Carrick was a police officer.

She eventually ran away from the house when Carrick was at a wedding because it would be unlikely he would be monitoring the surveillance cameras.

Carrick tried to track her down after she escaped, but she managed to avoid him.

The woman came forward to police when she saw a news report that Carrick had been arrested for rape. “I just burst out crying,” she said.

Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 offences including rape, false imprisonment and possession of a weapon.

The victim’s daughter said: “I know this sounds weird, but I was angry when he pleaded guilty. I wanted to have the chance to tell my story.”

The pair are receiving trauma therapy but say they want to move on with their lives after Carrick is sentenced in early February.

“He doesn’t deserve to ever get out of prison,” the victim said.

UK

Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection

Published

20 mins ago

November 5, 2024

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Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection

The Queen is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.

A palace spokesperson said Camilla’s doctors “have advised a short period of rest” and added that “with great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week”.

They added the Queen “very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal”.

“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” they said.

It is understood the Queen is currently resting at home and is under doctor’s supervision.

Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, has stepped in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

The Queen has also withdrawn from a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on the same evening.

Camilla recently returned from an overseas tour of Australia and Samoa. No further details regarding her illness or treatment have been released.

UK

Labour confirms U-turn on proposed ban on smoking and vaping in pub gardens

Published

20 mins ago

November 5, 2024

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Labour confirms U-turn on proposed ban on smoking and vaping in pub gardens

A proposed ban on vaping and smoking in pub gardens will not go ahead, the health secretary has confirmed.

Wes Streeting said the Labour government would not press ahead with the idea after it was floated over the summer and caused an outcry within the hospitality industry.

Back in August, Sir Keir Starmer said his government was considering a ban on outdoor smoking in a bid to bring down the 80,000 preventable deaths caused by smoking in the UK each year.

The ban would have covered smoking in outdoor restaurants and outside sports venues, hospitals, nightclubs, and in some small parks.

But speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Streeting confirmed the U-turn and said: “We’re not going ahead or not proposing to go ahead with a [smoking] ban on outdoor hospitality.”

Politics latest: Badenoch assembles shadow cabinet

He said the policy idea was a “leak of government discussion” over the summer and promoted a “really good debate about whether or not it would be proportionate” when taking into account the public health benefits, but also the potential downsides.

“I think people know the UK hospitality sector has taken a battering in recent years,” he added.

“And we don’t want to add to their pressure – so we’re not proposing to go ahead with an outdoor hospitality ban at this time.”

However, Mr Streeting did say that the smoking ban would be extended to some outdoor spaces, including schools, hospitals and children’s playgrounds.

It comes as the government today introduces a “groundbreaking” bill that aims to create the “first-ever smoke-free generation”.

The Tobacco and Vapes bill, which was first introduced by Rishi Sunak but was dropped due to the general election, will prevent anyone who was born on or after 1 January 2009 from buying tobacco.

The ban will effectively raise the legal age for buying cigarettes in England by one year every year, until it applies to the whole population.

The policy to create a “smoke-free generation” was seen as a defining one of Mr Sunak‘s premiership and caused controversy within Tory ranks, particularly the more libertarian wing of the party.

The bill will also create limits on the sale and marketing of vapes to children, while separate environmental legislation will be introduced to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes by next summer.

The health secretary said “clamping down on the scourge of youth vaping” with licensing, tougher enforcement and a ban on the marketing of vapes to children and young people was “happily, an area of broad cross-party consensus”.

“I first proposed the generational ban for children, when I was the shadow health secretary,” he said.

“To my delight and surprise, Rishi Sunak took it up as prime minister and Conservative leader.

“I hope that cross-party support will sustain a new leader of the Conservative Party, but we’ll find out in the coming weeks.”

UK

Powys crash: Safety system ‘blocked’ before fatal train collision

Published

20 mins ago

November 5, 2024

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Powys crash: Safety system 'blocked' before fatal train collision

A safety system was “blocked” during a fatal train crash in Powys, an initial investigation has found.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its initial findings into last month’s collision, in which one person died.

David Tudor Evans, 66, was described as a “lovely guy, full of life and enjoyment”.

A further 15 people were taken to hospital for treatment after the crash near Talerddig, police said.

The collision – at around 7.26pm on 21 October – involved the 6.31pm Transport for Wales service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the 7.09pm Transport for Wales service from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.

The RAIB said the units were fitted with wheel slide protection systems – described as being similar to anti-lock braking systems in cars – and an automatic sanding system.

Sand is discharged automatically via hoses when a wheel slide is detected during braking – creating more friction at the wheel-rail interface.

The on-train data recorder shows the wheel slide started during braking and was also present after the driver made an emergency brake demand.

An inspection of the sanding system fitted to Aberystwyth-bound train 1J25 showed the leading vehicle’s sanding hoses were blocked.

The RAIB says they were apparently unable to discharge sand.

The ongoing investigation is also looking at the speed at which the trains were travelling when they collided.

Initial enquiries suggest the westbound train was travelling at a speed of between 15mph and 24mph, while the eastbound train was travelling at a speed of 6mph.

The RAIB says its investigation will look at the sequence of events which led to the crash.

As part of the probe, the agency will look at factors including the actions of those involved, the level of wheel-rail adhesion, and the behaviour of both trains during and after the crash.

In a joint statement, Transport for Wales and Network Rail said they have “fully cooperated” with the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

“As investigations are currently still ongoing, we’ll continue to work together with investigators to understand what happened and await the full conclusion and recommendations of the investigation,” a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said safety was the “main priority” for both companies and they had “carried out enhanced checks to the trains and the railway line”.

“At this early stage of the investigation, it’s fundamental that we await the findings of the full report and show sensitivity towards our customers, colleagues, the local community and the families of those affected by the incident,” they added.