She brought so much joy: Sarah Everard’s parents in tribute to ‘wonderful’ daughter
Family appeal for information as main suspect in disappearance of 33-year-old taken to hospital after sustaining head injury in his cell
THE family of Sarah Everard have paid tribute to her as a “shining example to us all”, describing her as a daughter and sister who “brought so much joy to our lives”.
In a statement released on their behalf by the Metropolitan Police, the 33-year-old marketing executive’s family appealed for information to help the force’s investigation.
It came as the police watchdog launched an investigation into whether Metropolitan Police officers “responded appropriately” to a report of indecent exposure following referrals linked to the arrest of the suspect in the Everard case. Ms Everard vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3, with her suspected kidnap and murder prompting anger over the safety of women on the UK’S streets.
Her family said: “Our beautiful daughter Sarah was taken from us and we are appealing for any information that will help to solve this terrible crime.
“Sarah was bright and beautiful — a wonderful daughter and sister. She was kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable. She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour. She was strong and principled and a shining example to us all. We are very proud of her and she brought so much joy to our lives.
“We would like to thank our friends and family for all their support during this awful time and we would especially like to thank Sarah’s friends who are working tirelessly to help.”
The statement comes after the Metropolitan Police officer suspected of kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard was taken to hospital for a head injury sustained while in custody.
Scotland Yard said the suspect, who is in his 40s, was treated, discharged and returned to the police station where he is being held. According to the Sun newspaper, he was found collapsed and unconscious in his cell yesterday after suffering serious head wounds. He remains in custody after an application to extend his detention was granted at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, Scotland Yard said.
The officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was held on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap before being further arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure the following day.
A woman in her 30s, who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in midApril, police said.
Meanwhile, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had launched an independent probe after a “conduct referral” from the force in relation to two officers, which was received on Wednesday night.
This is linked to four other referrals, and all are connected to the arrest of the serving officer currently being held on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard and for a separate allegation of indecent exposure, the IOPC said.
They added that its investigation will look at the actions of the Met after police received a report on February 28 that “a man had exposed himself at a fast food restaurant in South London”.
It added: “Yesterday we determined that two conduct referrals relating to kidnap/murder and indecent exposure allegations against the arrested officer should remain under local investigation by the force.
“We are still assessing a mandatory referral in relation to the actions of police after they received a report that Sarah Everard was missing.”
The IOPC said a fifth mandatory referral was received from the Met yesterday “in relation to police contact with the arrested officer who was treated in hospital after sustaining a head injury while in custody yesterday afternoon”.
“That referral is also being assessed to determine what further action may be required from us,” the watchdog added.
Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said on Wednesday night that human remains, which have not yet been identified, had been found in an area of woodland in Ashford, in Kent, by detectives investigating Ms Everard’s disappearance.
On the day she went missing, the arrested officer was reportedly working a 2pm to 8pm relief shift at the US Embassy in Nine Elms, south-west London, around three miles from where she was last seen.
According to unconfirmed reports, detectives are investigating whether he might have used his warrant card to entice Ms Everard towards his car before snatching her. Officers removed vehicles from outside a house being searched in Deal, Kent, where the officer is believed to have lived with his wife and two children.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked and deeply saddened”, adding: “We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime.”
‘Our beautiful daughter Sarah was taken from us and we are appealing for information that will help solve this terrible crime’