Pc David Carrick: Rape charge Met Police gun cop who guarded Boris Johnson remanded in custody

A Metropolitan Police firearms officer who guarded the Prime Minister was remanded in custody today after being accused of rape.

Pc David Carrick, 46, was charged with the rape of a woman by Hertfordshire Constabulary detectives.

St Albans Magistrates were told the alleged victim came forward following the whole life sentence handed to Sarah Everard’s murderer Wayne Couzens, a former collegue of Carrick.

The matter was reported to police on Friday, Carrick was arrested on Saturday and charged yesterday.

Carrick is based within the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, the armed unit stationed in Westminster, and is responsible for the protection of sensitive sites such as Downing Street.

He was a former colleague of Couzens - who last week was given a whole-life tariff for kidnapping, raping and murdering Ms Everard, 33.

The officer met the woman on dating site Tinder on September 4 last year, the court heard.

Carrick appeared, wearing a white shirt, via video link at St Albans Magistrates Court from a police station in Stevenage.

Mark Fleckney, prosecuting, said: “They first met on September 4 of last year when they went to a public house in St Albans.

“Mr Carrick had asked whether she could come to the injured party’s house, but said she would rather meet him in town.”

He added: “Mr Carrick had ordered a bottle of wine which she doesn’t drink, but felt pressured to drink it as he had paid for that wine.

“The conversation then went onto what Mr Carrick did and she confirmed that he was a Metropolitan Police officer.

“Indeed he showed the injured party his identification card.

“He said he worked for the Metropolitan Police firearms division and that he guarded a number of important people including the Prime Minister.

“He confirmed he lived in Stevenage and also owned a snake.”

The court heard the officer took the woman to the Premier Inn in St Albans where he was staying, where the alleged offence occurred.

Ryan Dowding, defending Carrick, said: “The two met on Tinder, a dating app, and they had arranged to go to a pub.

“Having consumed alcohol at the pub, and then going to another pub, more alcohol was consumed.

“Mr Carrick says no such sex occurred. He emphatically denies the allegations.”

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, who appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, remanded the officer in custody.

He said: “You will be remanded in custody until you appear at St Albans Crown Court on November 1.”