James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The prosecution continues, as former Met Police officer David Carrick sits impassively in the dock.

The next woman’s story includes an accusation of false imprisonment – as Carrick “punished” her on occasion by shutting her in an cupboard under the stairs on "a significant number of occasions”.

We're told he threatened her with his police baton, and sent a picture of his gun saying "remember I am the boss".

The court hears that sex became very aggressive early on, and we hear a long list of the sexual offences carried out.

When interviewed in 2021, Carrick again said all sex between them had been consensual.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The prosecution goes on to give the story of a victim who met Carrick through the dating app Tinder, and their relationship is said to have been intense.

There follows a list of a number of sexual acts to which she did not consent. The victim is also said to have been cut off from her friends and family, and Carrick also controlled what she was allowed to eat and how much she ate – as well as when she slept.

The court hears that by the end of their relationship, she was suicidal. Carrick insisted in an interview in December 2021 that all sexual activity had been consensual.

He accepted that there had been a camera in the property, but said it was pointed towards his pet snakes.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The next woman’s story refers to a charge of attempted rape.

“She never experienced aggression like that on that night”, says prosecutor Tom Little KC, detailing their encounter. He says she ran out of the house when Carrick went to the bathroom.

The defendant denied any sexual contact with her.

We next hear about the rape of a woman Carrick met after he'd been speaking to her on Facebook and on WhatsApp.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC says she didn’t realise that what had taken place at the time was rape, but after she saw the accounts of other victims that she decided to come forward.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

We're hearing the accounts of two more women, read out by prosecutor Tom Little KC.

With the first, Carrick is said to have sent messages that he loved her. There follows an account of assault. We hear that the victim decided not to report the attack, as she doubted anyone would do anything if she made a complaint.

We then hear the account of another woman, who accused Carrick of attempting to rape her. She said she pretended she enjoyed it so she could get out of bed quicker.

In police interviews, Carrick accepted that he had kissed the woman but denied attempting to rape her.

Helena Wilkinson
reporting from Southwark Crown Court

What we are now hearing in court is shocking, for the first time we are getting the full details of what Carrick did to his 12 victims.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC is taking us through each of them - where Carrick met them, what he did.

For the women who went through this, hearing this in open court must be unbearable. Carrick has barely looked up from the floor.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

We now hear from the prosecutor about the story of another woman, who dated Carrick for a period of time.

The first attack that is detailed by the prosecutor occurred when Carrick was “very drunk”.

We hear how their relationship unfolded. Anal sex was “performed on a number of occasions”, the prosecutor says, despite the fact the woman did not enjoy it, and did not always consent.

The relationship “deteriorated”, Little says. On one occasion, Carrick “brandished a knife at her and slashed her work shirts”.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The prosecution details the story of a second woman, who worked as a police officer and was several years older than Carrick.

She agreed one night to stay at Carrick’s flat. This woman, we hear, was “expecting to have consensual vaginal sexual intercourse with him”, but became aware Carrick was attempting to penetrate her anally. However, he persisted and told her “this is what I do”.

Again, the attack happened at Carrick’s home – this time in 2004. However, the crime was not reported until some years later. She said this was down to “shame to a degree… especially with the fact it was anal rape.”

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The first victim referenced by Tom Little KC was some years younger than Carrick.

The court hears that six offences, including rape, were committed during a single night after the two met in a bar.

He asked her back to his home on the pretext of her helping clean his home. There follows a description of the attack that ensued.

Carrick is said to have prevented the woman from leaving his home. He put “a black handgun” to her head and said, “you are not going”. The prosecution does not contend that this was a real firearm, and the victim could not say.

After the attack, Carrick is said to have talked to her as if nothing had happened at all – before raping her again.

After leaving the officer’s home, the woman went to hospital and was found to have external and internal injuries.

But, Little says, a nurse in A&E told the woman that rather than report what happened, “she might be better to try to put it behind her and move on”.

As a result, she did not give a report at the time.

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.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

Prosecutor Tom Little KC now recites some biographical details about David Carrick, who is 48, and his policing career. Carrick himself sits in the dock, staring at the floor.

The court hears that the defendant undertook his police training in 2001, before starting to work in the London Borough of Merton in January the following year.

His offending began in 2003.

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.

Helena Wilkinson
reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The technical issues have been fixed to some extent. Carrick is back in court. The judge has also returned to court. The hearing resumes.

Helena Wilkinson
reporting from Southwark Crown Court

David Carrick has just been taken out of the dock and back to the cells.

That might be because there is still a technical issue with the remote link and we don't know how long it will take for it to be fixed.

The hearing has had to pause for a while - some people are following proceedings today on a remote link and it's not working properly. The judge has left the room while it’s being fixed.

Helena Wilkinson
reporting from Southwark Crown Court

It's difficult to imagine what Carrick’s victims who are in court today must be feeling right now.

The man who committed the most appalling crimes against them is sitting little more than five metres away.

Today and tomorrow, they and Carrick’s other victims, will finally see justice.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

In his opening note, prosecutor Tom Little KC refers to the 49 charges to which Carrick pleaded guilty.

He says these break down into 71 instances of serious sexual offending.

The prosecutor adds that “it did not matter who the victim was”, before going on to describe some of the women Carrick targeted with his crimes.

Speaking of Carrick’s victims, Little says some were “appreciably older or younger than him”. He adds: "They were all, in their own ways, vulnerable”.

Little then says: “He frequently relied on his charm to beguile and mislead the victims”. Carrick would then allegedly use “his power and control thereafter”.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

Image source, PA

If you’re not familiar with the court system, here’s what’s likely to happen today and tomorrow.

I’m in court along with other journalists from broadcasters and national newspapers. We will all listen to the prosecution outline the facts of the case.

The prosecutor is Tom Little KC and we can also expect him to set out aggravating factors as to why Carrick should get a higher sentence.

One of these factors will likely be the fact he was a serving policeman when he committed all of his crimes.

In this part of the hearing we also expect to hear impact statements from Carrick’s victims. It’s likely this will take the best part of today (day one).

Then Carrick’s defence barrister will stand up to provide mitigation on behalf of their client, setting out reasons as to why Carrick should get a lower sentence.

Once that is all done the judge - Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb - will weigh up both arguments on what sentence they will pass.

Often there is a bit of a wait while the judge considers what has been said, before they read out their remarks and pass sentence. This part will be broadcast.

Helena Wilkinson
reporting from Southwark Crown Court

The courtroom is packed, a number of Carrick’s victims are here.

They are sitting at the back of the court behind the glass dock.

David Carrick has been bought up from the cells, wearing a suit and tie.

He has been asked to stand and confirm his name.

Image source, Facebook

David Carrick is believed to have used his position to put fear into women, so what do we know about his career as a police officer?

In August 2001 he joined the Met Police as an officer based in Merton, south-west London, until July 2005 when he was moved north of the Thames to Barnet.

He worked in north London until 2009 when he was moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command - a specialist branch which provides protection to the Houses of Parliament, government ministers and some embassies in the capital.

The Met says at no point did Carrick have any responsibility for protecting any individuals. Carrick was sacked by the Met at a misconduct hearing on 17 January.

James FitzGerald
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court

You might well be wondering why this sentence hearing is so long - usually they last a couple of hours.

But due to the timescale of the crimes committed and the victims involved, the judge has allowed two days.

This is to give time for statements from the victims - 12 in total - to be read out in court.

We can also expect full details of Carrick's crimes to be read out by prosecutor Tom Little KC.

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. She plans to be in court for Carrick's sentencing. "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 adds. 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.