Detective raped by fellow officer David Carrick calls on Met chief to resign

Linda Williams, 60, from Hertfordshire, was attacked by Carrick in 2004 and has now settled a civil case against the Met for failing to protect her against the serial rapist. The settlement was for an undisclosed six-figure sum without the force admitting liability.

Williams, who waived her right to anonymity, said the way she was treated by the force throughout her legal claim was 'devastating' and that it drove her to contemplate suicide. She reported the rape in 2021, 17 years after Carrick pleaded guilty to 71 sexual offences against 12 other women over 17 years.

Re-traumatizing experience

Williams described the legal process as 'like being raped all over again', saying it made her feel 'controlled, abused and powerless'. Despite being a former sexual offences officer herself, she stated she would not report a rape if it happened tomorrow due to the 'complete lack of empathy and support' from police.

Police response

Williams accused the Met's legal team of questioning the severity of her PTSD diagnosis, using her continued professional performance against her to suggest she showed no signs of psychological trauma. She alleged the force was responsible for her inability to report the rape in 2004.

She told the BBC the PTSD she experienced after the attack was '90% down to the Met police, 10% to Carrick'. Williams claimed little had changed in the police culture since her attack, describing it as 'like an episode of Life On Mars', a TV drama set in a 1970s police station.

Call for leadership change

Williams directly called for Commissioner Mark Rowley to resign, stating: 'For this to happen Rowley needs to go and we need a new commissioner.' She suggested the Met should establish a unit overseen by victims who understood what it was like to be raped.

The Metropolitan police issued a statement acknowledging 'serious flaws' in their approach to investigations at the time, saying they 'deeply regret' missing opportunities to pursue Carrick through the misconduct process. They confirmed Rowley had met with Williams multiple times and asked to meet again to discuss the issues further.

Williams has had no relationships since the attack 22 years ago, stating: 'After the attack, I couldn't face the thought of being with a man or even having somebody in my home. That makes for a lonely Christmas and no holidays.' She added that Carrick 'stole the future that I wanted'.