LINDA WILLIAMS CALLS FOR MARK ROWLEY TO RESIGN AFTER MET SETTLEMENT

Police officer Linda Williams has called for Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to resign after receiving an undisclosed six-figure settlement from the force. David Carrick, a former Metropolitan Police armed officer, raped Williams in 2004. The Met settled her legal claim without admitting liability. Williams described the force’s handling of her claim as “devastating” and said it nearly drove her to suicide.

Carrick is serving 37 life sentences for attacks on more than a dozen women. Williams waived her right to anonymity to speak about her experience. She previously worked as a sexual offences officer supporting victims. “If I was raped tomorrow, I wouldn’t report it,” she said. Williams said both the criminal justice and civil processes had been traumatic, and described a “complete lack of empathy and support” from police.

Williams said the legal process brought back feelings of being “controlled, abused and powerless” after the rape. She said she felt the Met had not sincerely acknowledged the attack’s lasting effect on her or what she saw as the force’s role. Williams said she continued to perform well at work after the attack and described her record as exemplary. She said the Met used that performance to suggest she had shown no signs of psychological trauma.