News that serial rapist David Carrick could still be entitled to his Metropolitan Police pension has stoked outrage online.
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.
Home Office minister Robert Jenrick backed the move, arguing it was clear the offending of the subsequently sacked officer, 48, was linked to his position in the capital’s police force.
However, it is unclear whether Khan has the powers to strip Carrick of the entirety of his pension or whether the former officer could still keep at least 35 per cent.
“Most egregious cases of police misconduct”
Mr Jenrick told Sky News: “The forfeiture of the pension is a matter for the Mayor of London but we support his efforts to remove that pension, if indeed that is what he chooses to do.
“This is one of the most egregious cases of police misconduct in the history of the Met, perhaps in the history of British policing. This disgusting individual should not benefit from his years serving in the Metropolitan Police.”
He later went further to say he and Home Secretary Suella Braverman “do not expect David Carrick to receive his pension”.
“There are very strong arguments for doing so as although some of this activity may have occurred outside of David Carrick’s exact role, it was linked to it,” Mr Jenrick told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Connection
Khan has said efforts will be made to strip Carrick of his police pension because his crimes were committed in connection with his job.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) will pursue pension forfeiture in this case as it is clear that Pc Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force.”
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.
Scotland Yard is expected to submit a report to Mopac setting out Carrick’s conviction and service with the force following his sentencing next month before an application is made to Braverman.
Up to 65 per cent
However, court decisions have in the past determined an officer’s pension can only be forfeited by up to 65 per cent – 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 (PaDP) unit in 2009.