Detective raped by colleague says Met handling of case 'like being raped again'
A Metropolitan Police detective who was raped by a colleague has publicly called for the resignation of Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. She claims the force's handling of her civil case was re-traumatizing and that the promised cultural reforms have failed.
Why it matters
The case highlights deep-seated institutional issues within the UK's largest police force and the challenges of achieving accountability for sexual violence.
Figure caption, Watch: Met chief Rowley not fit for job, says Linda Williams
A Metropolitan Police detective, who was raped by a fellow officer, has told the BBC that Scotland Yard's handling of her case was "like being raped all over again".
Det Con Linda Williams was attacked in 2004 by PC David Carrick - a serial abuser jailed for life in 2023 for sexual offences against her and 11 other women.
Linda has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of the attack and sought damages from the Met for failing to protect her from Carrick. The lengthy civil case left her feeling suicidal, she says.
The "worst thing", she says, was when lawyers acting for the Met commissioner challenged the severity of her PTSD on the basis that she had been raped only once.
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