London Mayor trying to strip rapist PC of police pension

Ministers are backing the efforts of the London Mayor to strip serial rapist David Carrick of his pension from the Metropolitan Police.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to seek the forfeiture of the state-funded pension, reported to be £22,000 a year, after Carrick admitted 49 offences against a dozen women. He said;

Currently Mr Khan can remove 65%, but needs further authority to remove it all.

"I find it unacceptable that someone who used his position as a police officer to commit these crimes, was still receiving his salary until very recently, but could still be receiving a pension while he is in prison so I've taken legal advise on this and I'm challenging this decision.

The ultimate decision is with the Home Secretary, but even if it means me going to the courts I'm going to challenge the possibility of this man receiving a pension that us taxpayers have paid into via employer contribution."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she supports the move and will consider Mr Khan's application, arguing Carrick "should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long".

Robert Jenrick, a minister in her department, said the subsequently sacked officer could be stripped of his pension because the offending was linked to his position in the capital's police force.

The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) will submit a forfeiture request to Ms Braverman after Carrick's sentencing next month.

Ms Braverman said: "David Carrick's sickening crimes are a stain on the police and he should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long.

"I support the Mayor's Office in pursuing the forfeiture of his pension. I will consider any application for a forfeiture certificate from Mopac."

Pensions can only be blocked if the offending has been carried out in connection to their police service.

Home Office guidance states pension forfeiture can only be applied for when an officer has a conviction "committed in connection with their service as a member of a police force" and the offence has been certified by the Home Secretary as "liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service" or "gravely injurious to the interests of the state".

Such applications are usually made after a police officer has committed a crime while on duty.

A spokesman for Mr Khan said: "The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime will pursue pension forfeiture through an application to the Home Secretary as it is clear that Pc Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force."

Court decisions have in the past determined an officer's pension can only be forfeited by up to 65% - the contributions that have been made by the police force, and not their own contributions.

Carrick was formally dismissed from the Met on Tuesday for gross misconduct after pleading guilty to a total of 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020.

He joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit in 2009.

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