The judge is detailing Carrick's offences - which includes graphic descriptions of what he did to the women he attacked.

We have decided that it is right to mute the live feed for the time being.

After saying Carrick thought he was "untouchable", the judge tells Carrick: "For nearly two decades you were proved right".

She reminds him of the oath of office he took on becoming a police officer, and says his offending began "almost immediately after you became a police constable".

She then begins to recount some of the crimes he committed against his victims.

The judge begins by apologising for the technical issues.

She starts by saying David Carrick has had a "spectacular downfall" for a man who should have been upholding the law.

Behind his public appearance, she says Carrick "brazenly raped and sexually assaulted some you barely knew".

He thought he was "untouchable", Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb continues.

You can watch the sentencing remarks of Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb via a streaming link at the top of this page.

It's still a relatively new thing in England and Wales for judges' remarks to be televised in some criminal cases - and they only cover the sentencing process, rather than the whole court case. The idea is to shine a light into the criminal justice system, how it works and how judges make their decisions.

Given Carrick's crimes, the judge could make extremely graphic references to sexual violence.

Reporting on stories of sexual violence presents a challenging balancing act. The BBC feels it is important to reflect the severity of Carrick's offences, while also being sensitive as to what our viewers are exposed to.

There will be a one-minute delay on the video feed we're streaming so we can monitor the content and we may mute some sections of the audio if the content is too graphic.

The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, is beginning her sentencing remarks.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

Silence in court as Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb finally strides into courtroom two - although it is clear the tech issues have not been resolved.

Spare chairs have been brought from the back in order to accommodate the extra members of the press from the overspill courtroom.

Moments earlier we heard a jangle of keys as David Carrick was brought up from the cells and into the dock.

It is right in the middle of the court. Everyone here can see him.

Now, everyone is sat down and the judge begins her sentencing - the first to be broadcast live from Southwark Crown Court.

Carrick will now be sentenced in his absence.

A reminder, you can follow the sentencing live by clicking the play button at the top of the feed

If you're just joining us - we're following the live sentencing of David Carrick. The former Metropolitan Police officer has pleaded guilty to 85 offences against 12 women over a period of 17 years.

Yesterday, Southwark Crown Court heard the details of his crimes - which include multiple rapes - as well as 11 statements from women who he attacked.

There followed a discussion of what sentence he might be given. Today he's due to learn his fate from judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

The hearing was due to start more than an hour ago. But the court has been thwarted by technical issues which have prevented proceedings from getting under way.

Judith Burns & June Kelly
BBC News

"Michelle", herself a serving police officer and senior to Carrick, was among his earliest victims.

"Charming, very charming, very jolly, very happy. Initially that's what I thought. He became quite flirty straight away," Michelle, who asked us not to use her real name, remembers of their first meeting in 2004, while on a three-month secondment.

One night, she went back to his house after working late and it was there he raped her.

"I sort of got pushed around and forced," says Michelle.

Michelle says the rape clouded the rest of her life, despite her attempts to put it behind her.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of Carrick's sentencing, she said: "He's had his many years of doing what he shouldn't do, being a monster. He is a monster, and now he needs to pay."

"I don't want to hear his name any more," she added. Jailing Carrick will not help her forget what he has done, she says, but: "It will give the victims, as well as myself, a bit of justice."

• Read more from "Michelle" here

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

If you are just joining us you haven't missed anything at all.

The sentencing hearing was due to start at 10:30, but due to the intense media attention staff here have had to open a second court to accommodate the overspill of press.

But, the videolink which connects the two courtrooms isn't working so staff have been trying to fix the problem.

There still is no sign of Carrick, but prosecutor Tom Little KC and defence barrister Alisdair Williamson KC are both sitting in the courtroom.

So as it stands we are still delayed and waiting for the judge to enter court.

Image source, Facebook/David Carrick

David Carrick was born in Salisbury in 1975. His father was in the Royal Artillery and his mother was a cleaner.

He grew up near an Army base in Durrington, Wiltshire. As a child, he is said to have enjoyed martial arts and skateboarding. Carrick's mother told the Guardian that he was “normal-ish” when growing up, but that this changed after a serious allegation was made against him.

Carrick joined London's Metropolitan Police in 2001 after serving in the Army. His offending began two years later.

In 2009, Carrick was moved to the Diplomatic Protection Group – later called the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit - and then routinely carried a firearm.

The prosecutor makes references to the fact that Carrick underwent a training course in 2005 on managing domestic violence cases.

He was living in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, when he was arrested.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

Image source, PA Media

We'll be able to watch the judge’s sentencing remarks as they happen because she has agreed to have a camera in the courtroom.

Scotland has been doing this for several years, but the filming of judges sentencing serious criminals in English and Welsh courts was only brought in last July.

The thinking is that if the public can see the judicial process then they can have more confidence in the system.

In England and Wales though, only four organisations can film: the BBC, ITN, Sky and PA Media. They have to apply to the judge to film the sentencing remarks of a case. Even then, they can only film the remarks made by the most senior judges.

No-one else can be filmed - so there is no filming of victims, witnesses or jurors.

In recent months, we’ve seen broadcasted sentencings at the Old Bailey include Jemma Mitchell - who decapitated her friend Mee Kuen Chong - and Jordan McSweeney, who was jailed for life after being convicted of murdering aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena.

Today’s judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, also sentenced McSweeney.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

We've got a slight delay here in court two while staff try to fix the videolink to the overspill court in the building.

Still no sign of Carrick either - but many of his victims are sat at the back of the room.

Yesterday, there was discussion in the courtroom about the different sentencing options available to the judge.

The prosecution argued for a life sentence with a minimum term attached.

It said Carrick's crimes did not merit what's called a whole-life order - taking note of his guilty pleas.

A life sentence is a punishment sometimes handed down for rape. As the government website explains, external, this sentence lasts for the remainder of the convicted person's life. That means that even if that person is released from prison, they will remain "on licence" in the community.

Meanwhile, a whole-life order means the person sentenced will never be released from prison, except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.

Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

Southwark Crown Court is packed with members of the press. National and regional broadcasters, newspapers and websites are all here in courtroom two.

The interest has been so huge we have had to queue three times to get into the courtroom.

I arrived at 07:45. After queuing to get into the building we then had another queue for an hour to get a ticket to enter the courtroom.

This was followed by another one-hour wait outside the courtroom.

Sentencing is expected to begin shortly.

Yesterday, the court heard powerful testimonies from 11 of Carrick's victims - as prosecution lawyer Tom Little KC read out their statements.

Here's some of what was said:

• One woman told of how she had "encountered evil" in the shape of Carrick, having feared she would be killed when she was raped by the then-policeman
• The same woman said she had been told afterwards by a nurse that it "wasn't the first time" and "she doubted it would be the last" that she had heard a serving officer accused of a sex attack
• Some women recorded the physical harm caused by Carrick's offences, as well as the mental-health impacts - with one woman describing acts of self-harm and suicidal thoughts
• A number of women said their subsequent relationships had suffered - one saying she had not had a long-term relationship since Carrick and that he had "possibly deprived me of a family life"
• Multiple women said they had lost confidence in the police as a result of Carrick's crimes - with one saying she feared calling in the event of an emergency, in case they sent "a male officer like him"

If you are affected by anything you read on this page today, you can get support from BBC Action Line.

Today is the second day of Carrick's sentencing hearing. The detail of the case against him was detailed at Southwark Crown Court yesterday:

• Prosecutor Tom Little KC spoke of Carrick's dozens of offences over a period of 17 years
• Carrick himself was in the dock to hear the accusations against him read out and gave little reaction
• A number of victims were present in the courtroom - sitting just metres behind their attacker
• The barrister proceeded to read out statements from the victims, describing the many ways in which the crimes of the former police officer had affected them
• There followed a discussion with the judge about sentencing. The prosecutor asked the judge for a life sentence with a fixed minimum term, but stopped short of requesting a whole-life order, citing Carrick's guilty pleas
• Finally, Alisdair Williamson KC spoke briefly to provide mitigation - meaning anything to be considered in favour of a lesser sentence. He said Carrick accepted full responsibility for his crimes

As we bring you today's sentencing of David Carrick, we're attempting to strike a balance between reflecting the gravity of his offences, and taking care over the material you're exposed to (and the quantity of it).

If you have been affected by anything you have read on this page today, you can get support from the BBC Action Line.

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

When we report sexual offence cases, we have to decide what is appropriate to tell you because of the often graphic detail.

At the same time, it’s important we don’t sanitise what Carrick did to his victims.

So the balance we are trying to find is between reflecting the gravity of the offences, while being sensitive about what you, the audience, is exposed to.

There are legal exceptions, such as the victims' right to anonymity in these cases, but journalists have a right to report what is said in open court. However juries often hear evidence that is graphic and upsetting.

Those of us in court, as well as colleagues in our newsroom, bear all of this in mind when we're deciding how to report this kind of case.

Our live coverage resumes this Tuesday morning, as former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick is to be sentenced shortly after pleading guilty to 49 charges - many of them rapes and other sexual offences - against 12 women.

He's regarded as one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders, having committed crimes across a 17-year period.

Yesterday, the court heard harrowing details about what his victims went through - and how those events affected their lives.

The sentencing remarks of the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, are scheduled to begin at 10:30 this morning.

We know this case is distressing.

While reporting it we're trying to set out the seriousness of Carrick's crimes, whilst being mindful of the material you are exposed to.

If you have been affected by anything you have read on this page today, you can get support from the BBC Action Line.

We're leaving our coverage here now. We'll be back tomorrow for the sentencing itself.