David Carrick trial: Former Metropolitan Police officer held hand over mouth of girl, 12, to ‘prevent her screaming’ as he molested her, jury told
A former Metropolitan Police officer put his hand over a 12-year-old girl’s mouth to “prevent her from screaming” as he indecently assaulted her, a court heard.
David Carrick denies sexually assaulting the girl five times and raping the woman, whom he is later accused of subjecting to coercive and controlling behaviour.
Jurors at the Old Bailey were told the “predatory and controlling” former police officer was previously convicted of numerous sexual offenses in 2022 and 2023 and admitted committing a “numerous” offenses against a “significant number” of women.
In total, he was convicted of 71 incidents of sexual violence against 12 women.
Opening a three-week trial into the two victims, prosecutor Tom Little KC said: “This was not actually an isolated crime but was part of a pattern that the defendant committed over many years.”
One of the victims was allegedly in the 7th grade at the school when Carrick began harassing her over a period of 18 months in the late 1980s.
He described Carrick as “very controlling” and “obnoxious”. In a pre-recorded video interview played to the court, she said she was “living in fear” after the sexual attacks began.
She said the incidents left her in shock, adding: “I didn’t understand it. I was quite naive at 12.”
When she was 14, she finally told her mother what had happened and was taken to a GP, who referred her to a psychologist, but “it was swept under the carpet like it was nothing”, she told the court.
A letter signed “Dave” obtained from Carrick’s medical records was read to the jury. In the document, he said the alleged victim was “not crazy” and his allegations were “true.”
He wrote: “I know how it is [the girl] you have to feel it. So I stopped and promised never to go near him again and I kept that promise and always will.
He offered to leave and never be seen again, adding: “I apologize to you, especially to you. [the girl] But he needn’t worry again. Please don’t try to talk about it.”
He is also accused of raping a woman he met through a dating app between December 2014 and April 2015, more than 20 years later.
Jurors were told they were both in bed when Carrick told her he wanted to try sex, and she reluctantly agreed.
She then told him three times that she wanted to stop. However, when she managed to get away he “got angry and cornered her”.
“He said words to the effect of ‘You’re not going anywhere’,” Mr Little told the court, adding that it was “clearly a rape offence”.
The court heard the victim didn’t say anything to anyone and feared he wouldn’t be believed because he was a police officer.
“Given that he was a Metropolice officer, it may have been clear and understandable that he took the view that he would not be believed, especially at that time,” Mr Little added. “Who would believe him?”
The prosecutor said Carrick could be charming “when necessary”. However, in another incident in 2019, he allegedly urinated on the woman and into her mouth without her consent.
Mr Little said Carrick locked her outside when she started screaming and crying and demanded she apologize for “disobeying him” before letting him in.
“It is worth noting that there are a number of sharp similarities between the conduct alleged by the woman and the conduct for which she was previously prosecuted and pleaded guilty in 2022 and 2023,” the prosecutor added.
Mr Little told the jury Carrick’s previous convictions included rape and urinating into other women’s mouths.
The court heard the former officer was also accused of forcing the woman to perform sexual acts on him on at least three occasions.
Carrick, who appeared on the stand in a black suit and tie, denied five charges of sexual assault against the girl in 1989 and 1990.
He has pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape between 2014 and 2019, including one of sexual assault and coercive and controlling behavior towards women.
The trial continues.
