Detective Raped by David Carrick Calls on Met Chief to Resign
Linda Williams, who settled a civil claim against the force, says she would not report a rape to police if it happened again
By AXY War & Crime Desk ·
Key points
- Linda Williams, 60, says the Met's handling of her case after she was raped by David Carrick in 2004 was "like being raped all over again."
- Williams has called on Met Commissioner Mark Rowley to resign, saying he was the defendant in the case.
- Her civil claim against the Met has been settled for an undisclosed six-figure sum, without the force admitting liability.
- Williams said she would not report a rape to police if it happened again, because of the treatment she received.
- Carrick, 51, is serving 37 life sentences after attacking more than a dozen women.
A detective who was raped by former Scotland Yard officer David Carrick has called on the head of the Metropolitan Police to resign. Linda Williams, 60, says the way the force handled her case was "like being raped all over again." She has waived her right to anonymity, which is why she is now speaking publicly under her own name.
Carrick attacked Williams in 2004. She later brought a legal case against the Met, arguing that the force failed to protect her from a man it should have stopped. That case has now been settled for an undisclosed six-figure sum. The force did not admit liability, meaning it did not accept that it was at fault.
The Attack That Started a Legal Fight
Williams is from Hertfordshire. Her case is not a criminal trial. It was a civil claim, a lawsuit in which a person asks a court or a settlement process for money to compensate for harm. In her claim, Williams said the Met failed to protect her from Carrick, and that she felt unable to report the rape at the time.
The settlement means the case will not go to a full hearing. Both sides agreed terms, and the amount was not made public. The phrase "six-figure sum" tells readers the payment runs into six digits, but the exact figure has not been disclosed.
What Williams Says the Force Did Wrong
Williams described the way she was treated during the legal process as "devastating." She said it drove her to contemplate suicide. The process, she said, brought her back to the moment of the attack. "The whole process has taken me right back to how I felt when I was raped by Carrick: controlled, abused and powerless," she said.
Her strongest criticism is aimed at how she was treated as a victim. She said police did not show her that they understood how serious the attack had been. "At no point did I feel they sincerely acknowledged that I had been through a horrific sexual attack and that the trauma of that had deeply scarred me, or their role in it all," she said.
Williams also spoke about her own professional background. She said she had once been a sexual offences officer, supporting victims herself. That experience, she said, did not protect her from the effects of what happened. "Despite that experience and my understanding of the system, I still wouldn't report it, because of the complete lack of empathy and support I have experienced from the police," she said.
Her most direct warning is about the next victim. "If I was raped tomorrow, I wouldn't report it," she said. Both the criminal justice process and the civil process, she said, had been "so traumatic." When a woman who understands the system says she would stay silent, that is a serious message for any police force to hear.
How the Met Argued Its Case
During the civil claim, Williams said the Met's legal team questioned how serious her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis was. PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event, such as a sexual assault. Its symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares and a constant sense of threat.
Williams said the force's argument rested on the way she carried on with her working life. "They used the fact that I just got on with my life as best I could after the rape against me," she said. "I was an exemplary officer and continued to perform well at work, and they relied on that to suggest I had shown no signs of psychological trauma."
This is the part of the case that is likely to hit hardest for victims of sexual violence who keep working, studying or raising families after an attack. Coping outwardly and being traumatised inwardly are not mutually exclusive. Williams is arguing that her competence at work was turned against her, and that the force used it to question whether she had really been harmed.
Why Williams Is Calling for Rowley to Go
Williams named Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, as the person she holds responsible. She said Rowley was the defendant in the case, and that it was he who was making the arguments she found so painful. "As far as I am concerned, it is Mark Rowley, the [Met] commissioner, saying these terrible things, as he was the defendant in the case," she said.
That is a personal and pointed charge. The commissioner is the most senior officer in the force, responsible for its direction and conduct. Williams is making the case that the leader of the organisation should answer for how its legal defence treated a rape survivor. Her call for resignation is about accountability at the top, not only about the officers who handled her case day to day.
Who David Carrick Is and Why His Case Still Matters
Carrick, 51, previously served as an armed officer in the Met. He is serving 37 life sentences after attacking more than a dozen women. Those sentences place him among the country's worst sex offenders, according to the source material.
The scale of his offending is why Williams's case has drawn attention beyond one courtroom. The question people keep returning to is how a man who went on to attack so many women was able to remain in a position of trust with an armed police force. Williams's claim tests whether the force took its duty to protect the public, and its own staff, seriously enough when she first raised concerns.
Williams's comments also come at a time when public confidence in policing is a live issue in London. For the Met, which polices the capital and is headquartered at Scotland Yard, the credibility of its handling of sexual offences is central to whether women feel safe reporting attacks.
Why This Matters Beyond One Case
For women across the country, Williams's words reach into a basic question: will reporting a rape lead to protection or to a second injury? She has said she would not report it again. That statement, from someone trained to support victims, is likely to be read by many people as a warning about the state of trust between survivors and police.
The practical stakes are concrete. If victims believe reporting will bring disbelief or hostility, fewer attacks will reach investigators. Offenders who rely on silence can continue. Police forces depend on survivors coming forward, so the way a force treats one victim in a civil case can shape how others weigh the decision.
What Could Happen Next for the Met
The settlement closes Williams's civil claim, but it does not close the public argument she has started. The Met has not admitted liability, and the settlement amount has not been disclosed. Whether the force responds to her call for Rowley to resign, or to her wider criticism of how she was treated, is now the key question.
The next test is whether the Met changes how it deals with victims who bring legal claims against it. If the force argues in future cases that a victim's ability to work proves she was not harmed, the same criticism is likely to return. A public response that acknowledges the harm Williams describes would be a different signal, and one that victims are watching for.
For Williams, the outcome she has chosen is clear. She has put her name to a demand for accountability at the top of the force, and she has said what it cost her to go through the process. Whether that demand moves the Met is the question that will decide how much weight her words carry beyond this settlement.
Questions and answers
Who is Linda Williams?
Linda Williams is a 60-year-old detective from Hertfordshire who was raped by former Scotland Yard officer David Carrick in 2004. She has waived her right to anonymity and has brought a civil case against the Metropolitan Police.
Why does Linda Williams want Mark Rowley to resign?
Williams said the handling of her case was "like being raped all over again" and named Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, as the person responsible. She said Rowley was the defendant in her case and was the one making the arguments she found so painful.
Did the Metropolitan Police admit liability in the case?
No. The case was settled for an undisclosed six-figure sum without the force admitting liability, meaning it did not accept that it was at fault.
Who is David Carrick?
David Carrick, 51, previously served as an armed officer in the Met. He is serving 37 life sentences after attacking more than a dozen women.
Topics: David Carrick, Linda Williams, Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, Police misconduct, Sexual violence, Civil claim, Hertfordshire
Sources: The Guardian Law
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