A serving female police officer who was raped by her former colleague, notorious serial sex offender David Carrick, has called for Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley to resign.
Detective Constable Linda Williams, who has waived her right to anonymity, was attacked by serial rapist and former Met Police officer David Carrick in 2004 while she was on a three-month attachment with him in south London.
The 60-year-old received a six-figure payout from the Met, labelled 'compensation without acceptance of liability', after settling her civil case.
But, in an unprecedented move for a serving police officer, she is now calling publicly for Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to resign, saying of the 'deeply sexist' culture in the Met: 'We can turn it around, but I don't think Mark Rowley can turn it around.'
Carrick, 51, who previously served as an armed officer in the Met, is one of the country's worst ever sex offenders and is currently serving 37 life sentences after attacking more than a dozen women.
Carrick attacked Ms Williams while she was on a three-month attachment with him in south London, miles away from where she was usually stationed.
One night, Carrick said she should stay at his home so she didn't have to drive far late at night only to return early the next morning.
He then raped her. When Ms Williams said no to Carrick, he replied: 'It's what I do. I'm going to carry on.'
Linda Williams (pictured) has called for Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley to resign, calling the way the force handled her rape 'devastating'
The Detective Constable was attacked in 2004 by serial rapist David Carrick while she was on a three-month attachment with him in south London
In 2022 and 2023, Carrick (pictured) pleaded guilty to 71 sexual offences, including 48 rapes against 12 other women over 17 years. He is currently serving 37 life sentences
Ms Williams said she knew if she fought back, Carrick would become violent. After her ordeal, she 'never told a soul'.
At the time, Ms Williams was a rape investigation officer in the early 2000s. She said: 'I supported victims through rape but didn't report myself. I think that says loads.'
Describing experiences of sexism during her decades-long service in the Met, Ms Williams recalled having her forehead stamped with the words 'Property of the Met' and being locked in the boot of a police car for the duration of a shift.
Ms Williams, from Hertfordshire, called the way she was treated by the Met 'devastating' and said it drove her to contemplate suicide.
She described the Met Police's handling of the case as 'like being raped again', saying her PTSD after was '90 per cent down to the Met Police, 10 per cent to Carrick'.
She said the 'worst thing' was when lawyers acting for the Met commissioner challenged the severity of her PTSD, suggesting it could not be severe because she had only been raped once.
'I don't know how many times you have to be raped to have severe PTSD', Ms Williams said.
She added: 'The whole process has taken me right back to how I felt when I was raped by Carrick, controlled, abused and powerless.
Ms Williams said she threw herself into her work as a police officer and her animals
'If I was raped tomorrow, I wouldn't report it. Both the criminal justice process and the civil process have been so traumatic.
'I say that as someone who was once a sexual offences officer, supporting victims myself.'
She added: '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.
'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.
'They used the fact that I just got on with my life as best I could after the rape against me.
'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.
'As far as I am concerned, it is Mark Rowley, the Commissioner, saying these terrible things as he was the defendant in the case.'
Ms Williams also alleged that it was 'the Met's fault' that she could not report the rape in 2004, and that 'little had changed' in the culture since then.
She explained that the force was 'like an episode of Life On Mars' and that she would have been 'the officer who alleged I had been raped by a fellow officer'.
'I wouldn't have had the back up of my colleagues in dangerous situations and ultimately, I doubt anything would have been done about Carrick,' said Ms Williams.
It wasn't until 2021 that she reported the attack, saying she has had no romantic relationships since the rape 22 years ago.
Ms Williams said: 'After the attack, I couldn't face the thought of being with a man or even having somebody in my home.
'That makes for a lonely Christmas and no holidays. It's my choice but the reason behind it wasn't my choice. That's down to the attack. Carrick stole the future that I wanted.'
Following her lengthy legal dispute, she now wants to see changes to the support systems in the Met, and wants a new unit to be set up which is overseen by victims.
She also added that she had spoken to officers trying to set up similar systems, and that they had met resistance from the force, who said they already provide 'enough support'.
Ms Williams said: 'Mark Rowley will say they are doing everything they can to stop violence against women and girls - I disagree.
'The Met need to set up a unit overseen by victims like me who understand what it is like to be raped.
'For this to happen Rowley needs to go and we need a new commissioner.'
Sophie Bullimore, a solicitor from Penningtons Manches Cooper who represented Ms Williams, said: 'My client is an extremely impressive woman, who has shown incredible strength since the assault and throughout this process.
'However her life has been forever changed and more than 20 years after the attack, the impact on her mental health and daily living is still stark.'
She added that the 'time it has taken' to reach a settlement has resulted in Ms Williams taking long-term sickness from the police and has asked that the Met 'review' how they deal with cases like this in future.
In 2022 and 2023, Carrick pleaded guilty to 71 sexual offences, including 48 rapes against 12 other women over 17 years.
In November last year, he was convicted of molesting a 12-year-old child in the late 1980s and repeatedly raping and abusing a female ex-partner.
A Met Police spokesperson said: 'David Carrick was responsible for the most appalling offences and as we have said previously, we are truly sorry for the harm and suffering he caused his victims.
'He should never have been a police officer. Serious flaws in the way we approached such investigations at the time meant we did not spot his pattern of abusive behaviour.
'As a result, we missed opportunities to pursue him through the misconduct process. We deeply regret this.
'We recognise the unique and additional impact on DC Linda Williams, whose exposure to Carrick came as a result of her being a Met officer.
'Her continued commitment to public service, in spite of the trauma she experienced, is commendable.
'Throughout subsequent legal proceedings, the Met has 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.
'The Commissioner has previously met with DC Williams in person as well as spoken to her via email on multiple occasions.
'He has repeatedly acknowledged that she has shown courage in speaking out about her experience in an effort to drive forward necessary change and in now waiving her anonymity to continue to do so.
'He has contacted DC Williams to ask whether she would be willing to meet again and further discuss these issues in person.'