The copper who says she wouldn't report a rape to her own force… This morning a serving Met detective, DC Linda Williams, went public. She was raped in 2004 by a fellow officer, PC David Carrick, who is now serving life for sexual offences against her and 11 other women. She has waived her right to anonymity to speak. She sued the Met for failing to protect her. The case took four years. It's now settled for an undisclosed six-figure sum, and the Met hasn't admitted liability. She says the worst part was the commissioner's lawyers questioning how severe her PTSD could be because she'd been raped "only once". The BBC has seen a Met document saying a key factor in valuing her claim was that the "abuse itself was isolated to a single episode". She's now calling for Sir Mark Rowley to resign. The BBC calls it "an unprecedented move for a serving officer". A detective publicly telling her own commissioner to go. Here's what's really going on. 1. **"Without acceptance of liability."** This is how most civil claims against police forces end. The force pays out, but no judge ever rules that it failed. It's cheaper than a trial, sets no precedent and leaves no judgment for the next claimant to point to. Lawyers call it routine. To the person on the other end, it reads as "here's your money, and we still say we did nothing wrong." 2. **The "single episode" line.** In a damages claim, the other side argues over what it's worth, and how long the abuse went on is one of the things they weigh. That's the cold mechanics. But it's the commissioner's name on that case. You can't stand up in public saying victims come first while your lawyers run that line in private against one of your own detectives. Somebody senior should have read that document and stopped it before it went out. 3. **Carrick was no secret.** Sky reports he came to police attention nine times between 2000 and 2021, including allegations of rape, domestic violence, harassment and assault. None led to a criminal sanction or a misconduct finding. He passed vetting to join in 2001. He was re-vetted in 2017, years overdue because of backlogs, and passed again. After a rape arrest in July 2021, he wasn't re-vetted at all. Every incident was looked at on its own and closed. Anyone who's done the job knows how that happens: no further action from another force, a word from the line manager, file shut. The pattern only shows up if someone's actually paid to look for it. 4. **The line that should worry everyone.** In the early 2000s she was a rape investigation officer herself. She supported victims through the process, but didn't report her own rape. She says that if it happened tomorrow, she still wouldn't report it to the Met. When the people who know the system best won't use it, that tells you more than any culture-change press release. **What the press is missing.** The criminal side is done. Hertfordshire Police brought Carrick to justice, and Linda came forward after seeing he'd been charged over another woman. This fight is about how forces treat their own when they're the victim, and whether change at the top reaches the people on the ground. The Met says it tried to reduce her distress and deal with her claims "as quickly and compassionately as possible", and Rowley has asked to meet her again. Both things can be true, and the process can still have failed her. As someone who wore the uniform, I'll say it plainly. If a victim inside your own building doesn't trust you to handle her case, the job isn't finished. Links: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckdd… news.sky.com/story/david-car…