Detective Criticizes Met Police Handling of Officer’s safety allegation
A serving Metropolitan Police detective who was sexually assaulted by a colleague has publicly criticized Scotland Yard, stating that the organization’s management of her case felt like being violated all over again. At the time, the force was viewed as being in crisis – following Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving officer and other scandals including officers sharing photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
Detective Constable Linda Williams, who has served with the force for 27 years, was attacked in 2004 by then-colleague David Carrick. Carrick, a serial predator, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 for sexual crimes committed against Williams and 11 other women. After Carrick was jailed in January 2023, Sir Mark praised the victims and said: “We have failed and I’m sorry.
Williams, who has chosen to waive her right to anonymity to discuss the matter, revealed that she had previously worked as a rape investigation officer in the early 2000s. Linda, who has waived her legal right to anonymity to speak to, has settled her civil case and the Met has now paid her compensation without acceptance of liability. According to afterwards, Linda, She “never told a soul”. According to linda, now 60,, The mental and emotional impact of the rape has been vast.
Despite her professional background, she felt unable to report the attack at the time due to the toxic environment within the force.
She noted that she feared reporting the crime would have effectively ended her career, as she anticipated that Carrick would have faced no charges, leaving her isolated within a culture she described as a boys’ club. In an official report by Baroness Casey, the Met was described as a “boys’ club”, that was institutionally misogynistic and had failed women, two months later. After seeing Panorama’s report last year into a hidden culture of misogyny and racism inside the Met, linda contacted. According to she, It to the force after seeing media coverage of the news that Carrick had been charged with raping another woman. According to has seen a document from the Met, sent to Linda, showing it, A key factor in assessing damages was that the “abuse itself was isolated to a single episode”. According to linda’s solicitor, Sophie Bullimore, of Penningtons Manches Cooper,, To see the rape “reduced down on paper to it being a single isolated event, when actually it has impacted every single aspect of her life, it just needs to be handled with more care”.
During a four-year civil claim against the Met for failing to protect her, Williams faced significant emotional distress. She highlighted that legal representatives acting for the Met commissioner challenged the severity of her PTSD diagnosis, arguing that the trauma was limited because she had been assaulted only once. Williams described this experience as the worst part of the ordeal, noting that she felt like a liar during the legal proceedings. I was horrified and shocked,” she says, adding she was reduced to tears and felt she was being called a liar.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has faced direct calls from Williams to resign. Although Rowley pledged to reform the force and remove officers unfit for service upon taking office in 2022, Williams remains skeptical of his ability to oversee meaningful cultural change. She expressed that she would not report a similar incident to the force today, citing a total lack of faith in the current system to handle such reports correctly. When he took on the most important job in UK policing in 2022, Sir Mark pledged to change the Met. According to since reporting the rape by Carrick in 2021, Linda, It has been “horrific” and she would not report a rape to the Met today “because I don’t trust the police and I don’t think they deal with it correctly”. I supported victims through rape but didn’t report myself. I still don’t feel I could have any relationship,” she adds. I don’t know how many times you have to be raped to have severe PTSD,” Linda says.
In response, the Metropolitan Police stated that it sought to handle the case with compassion while minimizing further distress to the detective. A spokesperson acknowledged the unique impact of the case, noting that Williams’s exposure to Carrick occurred specifically because of her professional role as a Met officer. The force commended her continued commitment to public service despite the trauma she endured. According to the Met has, It “tried to reduce further distress and re-traumatisation to DC Williams’ welfare and has aimed to deal with her claims as quickly and compassionately as possible”. He probably would have been interviewed and then no further action, i would imagine that if Carrick had been arrested. Her PTSD after the attack is “90% down to the Met Police, 10% to Carrick”, she says. Information and support can be found at Action Line, if you have been affected by the issues raised in this story. According to linda, Met lawyers used the fact that she was an exemplary officer, and continued to perform well at work, to suggest she had shown no signs of psychological trauma.
The Metropolitan Police added that Sir Mark Rowley has repeatedly acknowledged the courage shown by Williams in speaking out. The commissioner has reached out to her to request a personal meeting to discuss these systemic concerns further. The force emphasized that it is committed to driving forward necessary changes within the organization.
Reflecting on the internal culture she experienced, Williams recalled instances of overt sexism, including having her forehead stamped with the words Property of the Met. She expressed deep regret for not coming forward sooner, though she maintains that the support from her immediate colleagues has been fantastic, even if higher management has failed to provide the necessary backing.
The attack occurred while Williams was on a three-month attachment in south London. Carrick, who used his position of authority to coerce and control his victims, suggested she stay at his home to avoid a late-night drive, which led to the assault. Williams stated that she knew resisting him at the time would lead to violence. She says, she knew that if she fought back then Carrick was going to get violent.
As she looks toward the future, Williams says she is speaking out primarily to assist other victims, whether they are police staff or members of the public. She believes that while the institution is capable of being turned around, she has no confidence that current leadership is the right team to achieve that transformation.
