A police officer in London pleaded guilty to 49 charges of sexual abuse, including rape, committed over 17 years.

According to The New York Times, 48-year-old David Carrick committed sexual crimes against 12 women in the line of his duty.

Mr Carrick was arrested in October 2021 after a female victim reported to UK police authorities that he had raped her. After his arrest, 12 women also alleged that he had committed sexual crimes against them. He will be sentenced next month.

Mr Carrick joined the Metropolitan Police in 2001, and his job responsibility includes parliamentary and diplomatic protection duties admitted to a 24-count of rape, nine-count of sexual assault, and false imprisonment, among others.

The prosecutors said he had been in relationships with some of his victims and systematically gained their trust before he attacked them.

The prosecutors said the case was one of the most significant ever brought, describing the seriousness of the offences as “a relentless campaign of sexually and mentally abusing women.”

The Metropolitan Police on Monday apologised to all 12 victims, describing the officer as “a prolific, serial sex offender” who had used his position to oppress women.

Barbara Gray, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said, “We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour, and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation. We are truly sorry that Carrick was able to continue to use his role as a police officer to prolong the suffering of his victims.” 

The cop’s record with the Met shows he was involved in a number of incidents both before and during his time as an officer, including accusations of sexual harassment and assault.

On Monday, Shipa Shah said in a statement that Mr Carrick claimed that his relationship with the women was consensual and not forced “the issue of consent has been fundamental to this case.”

Women’s rights groups condemned the case as a disturbing example of a culture of impunity in an authority that should have been held to the highest standards but instead emboldened Mr Carrick to use his status to oppress women.

“This is an institution in crisis,” said Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, in a statement, calling it a “bleak day for women’s trust and confidence in policing.”

“This isn’t just about individual ‘bad apples,’” she added. “It’s about police leaders taking responsibility for transforming a culture that normalises and condones misogyny and racism and enables officers to abuse their power with impunity.”