A former London police officer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years for raping and sexually assaulting a dozen women over a 17-year period. Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, 48, admitted last month he was a serial rapist in what prosecutors described as one of the most shocking cases involving a serving police officer. Carrick, who joined the force in 2001, pleaded guilty to 49 offenses including 24 counts of rape and charges including assault, attempted rape and false imprisonment. His crimes took place between 2003 and 2020. During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the former officer “took monstrous advantage of women” behind a public appearance of propriety and trustworthiness. “You brazenly raped and sexually assaulted a number of women, some very brutally, and you behaved as if you were untouchable. You were bold and at times relentless, trusting that no victim would overcome her shame and fear to report you," the judge told Carrick. “For nearly two decades, you were proved right but now a combination of those 12 women, by coming forward, and your police colleagues, by acting on their evidence, have exposed you and brought you low," she added. Authorities said Carrick used his status as a police officer to control and coerce his victims. The Metropolitan Police said his crimes had a “devastating impact” on the force, and apologized to victims after it emerged that nine allegations of rape and other crimes were made against Carrick between 2000 and 2021. He was only suspended from the force after his arrest for a rape complaint in 2021.  

In a wedding held inside Khulna District jail a 39-year-old man married a minor girl who was allegedly raped by him two years ago, authorities said on Monday. The girl, Sukh Moni, now 15, was brought to the jail from a safe home for the marriage around 2:30 pm on Sunday with accused Rafiqul Islam Babu by the order of the High Court considering the greater interests of the rape survivor, said Md Fakhruddin, deputy jailor of Khulna Jail. Also read: Madrasa director rapes 7-yr-old repeatedly in Chuadanga, held Families of the couple were present during the simple event when marriage registration was done, he said. He said following the directions of the High Court the marriage was registered by district marriage registrar at the jail office.   Khulna Jail Superintendent Omar Faruque, Jailor Md Tariqul Islam, Deputy Jailor Md Nur-E-Alam Siddiqui were present during the programme along with other officials and staffers of the jail. “Shukh Moni was brought in jail two days before registering the marriage from Bagerhat safe home. The High Court has approved the marriage and both Shukh Moni’s and Babu’s family have given their consent.” said jail super Omar Faruque.  Babu, arrested in the rape case, has been in jail since December 17, 2020 while survivor Shukh Moni, who was 13 at the time of the assault, was sent to a safe home as she was two months pregnant then.   At the safe home the girl gave birth to a child who did not survive. Regarding the marriage of the underage girl (child marriage) Advocate Md Mominul Haque, coordinator of Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights  Khulna said,” According to section 19 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017, such marriages can be done in a special arrangement with the permission of the court and the consent of both the parents." “The man was caretaker of a house where the girl used to work as a house help. As she was pregnant when the case was filed she was sent to safe home by the court considering an appeal for her safe custody,” he said. Also read:5-yr-old girl killed after ‘rape’ in Noakhali: Cousin held Section 19 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act provides that in special circumstances, the court can give marriage to children, for protecting the best interests of them, with the consent of their parents. However, there is no provision for having any consent from those children while they are getting married as they are not adults. 

In separate incidents, a housewife and schoolgirl have reportedly been gang-raped in Gazipur and Manikganj districts while an eight-year-old girl has been ‘raped’ in Dhaka.

Teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU) on Wednesday demanded that capital punishment be given to the rapist of a student of the university as demonstrations on the campus continued for the 3rd consecutive day.

The man who raped a Dhaka University (DU) student in Kurmitola was a serial rapist and a mugger, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) said.

Police have rescued a rape victim and arrested six suspects in Cumilla after receiving a call at national emergency hotline No 999.

Police arrested two men for allegedly raping two madrasa students at Boidyabati and Borotha villages in the upazila on Thursday.