Ministers back the withdrawal of serial rapist David Carrick’s police pension

Ministers have backed efforts to strip serial rapist David Carrick of his Metropolitan Police pension.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to demand the loss of the state-funded pension, reportedly worth £22,000 a year, after Carrick admitted 49 offenses against a dozen women.

Interior Minister Suella Braverman said she supported the move and would consider Mr Khan’s request. She argued that Carrick “should never have remained as an officer for so long.”

Robert Jenrick, a minister in her department, said the officer who was subsequently fired could have his pension revoked because the offense was linked to his position in the capital’s police force.

However, Mr Khan does not have the power to strip Carrick, 48, of his entire pension and the former armed officer could still keep at least 35%.

The Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime (Mopac) will apply for confiscation to Ms Braverman following Carrick’s sentencing next month.

Ms Braverman said: “David Carrick’s heinous crimes are a stain on the police force and he should never have remained as an officer for so long.”

“I support the mayor’s office in seeking to lose his pension. I will consider any request for a certificate of confiscation from Mopac.”

A pension ban can only take place if the crime was committed in connection with the police service.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said police would work with the mayor’s office to apply for Carrick’s confiscation.

He said: “We know that David Carrick used the fact that he was a police officer as part of his offending, particularly to exert greater control and coercion over his victims and instill fear in them about what might happen if they came forward. “ report his crimes.

“Accordingly, we are working closely with the Mayor’s Office of Police and Crime, who will, in this case, submit a pension forfeiture application to the Home Secretary.”

Mr Jenrick told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “There is a very strong case for that because although some of these activities may have taken place outside of David Carrick’s exact role, they were related to it.”

He added on Sky News: “This is one of the most egregious cases of police misconduct in the history of the Met, perhaps in the history of British policing. “This despicable individual should not benefit from his years of service with the Metropolitan Police.”

Home Office guidance states that pension withdrawal can only be applied for if an officer has a conviction “committed in connection with his service as a member of a police force” and the offense has been described by the Home Secretary as “potentially serious”. “Loss of trust in the public service” or “severely damaging the interests of the state” were certified.

Such requests are typically made after a police officer has committed a crime while on duty.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “The Mayor’s Office of Police and Crime will be pursuing the forfeiture of the pension through an application to the Home Secretary as it is clear that PC Carrick has committed offenses in connection with his service as a member of a police force.”

Court decisions in the past have stipulated that only up to 65% of civil servants’ pensions can be withheld – the contributions made by the police and not their own contributions.

Carrick was formally dismissed from the Met on Tuesday for gross misconduct after pleading guilty to a total of 49 offenses, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020.

He joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit in 2009.