A Scotland Yard police officer has admitted carrying out a staggering number of sexual attacks which make him one of the United Kingdom’s worst sex offenders, according to reports on Monday. David Carrick, 48, owned up to dozens of rapes and sexual assaults against 12 women over a shocking 17-year crime wave. The firearms officer—who was nicknamed “Bastard Dave” by his colleagues—told his victims that his status in law enforcement meant that they would not be believed, prosecutors said, adding that he would also use sexual violence to degrade women, including by locking them naked in a cupboard in his home. The Metropolitan Police force said the scale of his offending is “unprecedented.” “Carrick is a prolific, serial sex offender who preyed on women over a period of 17 years, abusing his position as a police officer and committing the most horrific, degrading crimes,” said Barbara Gray, the force’s assistant commissioner. “We are truly sorry that being able to continue to use his role as a police officer may have prolonged the suffering of his victims.”