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A detective from the Metropolitan Police, Linda Williams, who was sexually assaulted by a fellow officer, has described to the BBC how Scotland Yard’s response to her case felt “like being raped all over again.” Williams was attacked in 2004 by PC David Carrick, a convicted serial abuser who received a life sentence in 2023 for offenses committed against her and 11 other women. As a result of the attack, Williams developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pursued legal action against the Met, claiming they failed to protect her from Carrick. She reveals the prolonged civil case left her feeling suicidal.
One particularly painful aspect of the legal process, Williams explains, was when lawyers representing the Met commissioner questioned the seriousness of her PTSD. They argued it could not be severe because she had been raped only once. The Met insisted to the BBC that it aimed to minimize further trauma during the handling of Williams’ claims and has tried to deal with the matter swiftly and compassionately. They acknowledged the unique impact of Carrick’s abuse on Williams as an officer and commended her ongoing dedication to public service despite the ordeal.
Williams has since settled her civil claim, with the Met paying compensation but not admitting liability. Breaking usual protocol, she has publicly called for the resignation of Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, accusing him of failing to reform police culture as he pledged when taking charge of the force in 2022. Williams says she remains distrustful of the Met’s ability to manage cases like hers properly. Rowley became commissioner at a time when the force was grappling with severe crises, including scandals surrounding the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer and the inappropriate sharing of images of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman among police colleagues.
Following Carrick’s conviction in early 2023, Sir Mark expressed sorrow and took responsibility for the force’s failures, calling Carrick unfit to remain a police officer. However, a subsequent official report described the Met as a “boys’ club” marked by institutional misogyny and systemic failure to support women. Williams reached out to the BBC after viewing Panorama’s investigation into entrenched racism and misogyny within the Met. Since reporting Carrick’s rape in 2021 to Hertfordshire Police—the force that launched the investigation after she read about Carrick’s other charges—Williams has described her experience with the Met as “horrific”. Despite formerly being a rape investigation officer herself, she says she would not trust her force to handle such a crime properly if it happened today.
The assault occurred while Williams was assigned to work alongside Carrick in south London, away from her usual base. One night, Carrick suggested she stay at his home to avoid a late-night drive, and it was then that he raped her. When she refused his advances, he told her, “It’s what I do. I’m going to carry on.” Fearing violent repercussions if she resisted, Williams did not fight back and, in the aftermath, kept the assault secret for years due to the Met’s toxic culture. She feared that reporting the crime would end her career, as Carrick would likely go unpunished and she would face isolation within the force. She recalls a workplace rife with sexism, recalling incidents such as having “Property of the Met” stamped on her forehead and being locked in the boot of a police car.
Now aged 60, Williams reflects on the deep emotional and psychological toll the assault has taken, saying she has led a solitary life focused on work and pets, with no intimate relationships or family since the attack. She admits guilt over not coming forward sooner and believes the force has not made sufficient progress to support victims of sexual offenses. She estimates that her PTSD is 90% the product of the Met’s failures and only 10% from the assault itself. During her civil case against the Met, its legal team challenged the severity of her PTSD, treating the rape as an isolated event and questioning why her trauma was so profound if it had occurred only once. This approach distressed Williams, who felt as if her suffering was being dismissed and her truth doubted. Her solicitor criticized the force for lacking empathy in their handling of her case.
The legal documents seen by the BBC indicate the Met argued that psychological harm did not significantly affect Williams’ day-to-day life for at least 15 years after the incident. The legal approach left her feeling re-victimized, as if the force controlled the narrative and her worth. Williams holds the commissioner personally accountable, noting that although Sir Mark apologized publicly to victims after Carrick’s conviction and eventually met with her, she found his apology lacking in substance. She accuses him of being more concerned with the Met’s public image than genuinely supporting victims and officers. While she acknowledges strong support from colleagues, she asserts that higher management has failed in this regard.
Sir Mark Rowley and the Met have recognized Williams’ bravery in speaking out and have offered to meet with her again to discuss her concerns. Nevertheless, Williams remains skeptical and has chosen to speak openly to encourage other victims—whether officers, staff, or members of the public—to come forward. She believes positive change is possible but doubts that Rowley is capable of leading it
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