Former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick has refused to give evidence in his trial for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl and raping an ex-partner. The decision marks a critical juncture in the case against the 50-year-old convicted serial rapist, who now faces fresh allegations spanning decades.
Carrick's barrister Rebecca Wade KC told jurors on Monday that her client would not testify in his defence and would call no other witnesses. The jury is expected to begin deliberations on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday at the Old Bailey.
The allegations came to light after Carrick pleaded guilty in 2022 and 2023 to 71 instances of sexual violence against 12 different women over a 17-year period. He now denies molesting the girl in the late 1980s and raping the woman during what prosecutors describe as a toxic relationship between 2014 and 2019.
Prosecutor attacks defendant's silence
Prosecutor Tom Little KC described Carrick's silence as "deafening" in his closing speech. He told jurors: «The cold reality of this case is the man in the dock, a Met police officer for decades, started his abuse when he was a teenager. When he was a serving officer, he was a serial rapist, a serial sex offender, and a coercer and controller of women he was in a relationship with.»
Little urged jurors not to lose sight of Carrick's career as a police officer, saying it must have made him feel "invincible". The prosecutor argued that the "real David Carrick was then unmasked" when his crimes "came crashing down around his ears" in 2022 and 2023.
Judge instructs jury on prior convictions
Trial judge Mrs Justice McGowan told jurors that evidence of Carrick's previous convictions was relevant to their considerations. However, she cautioned: «It does not make your decision for you. The fact he has done it before does not prove he is guilty of these offences.»
Carrick, formerly of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape, one of sexual assault and coercive and controlling behaviour towards the woman. He also denies five counts of sexual assault relating to the girl in the late 1980s.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
