‘Relief’ that killer will die in prison
THE family of Sarah Everard have expressed relief that the police officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered her will die in prison.
Wayne Couzens, 48, was handed a whole life sentence yesterday for killing the 33-year-old marketing executive after using his warrant card and handcuffs to snatch her off the street using Covid lockdown rules to make a false arrest.
The Metropolitan Police firearms officer, who had clocked off from a 12-hour shift at the US embassy that morning, drove his victim 80 miles before raping her, strangling her to death with his police belt and burning her body.
In his sentencing, Lord Justice Fulford said the case in which a serving officer abused his position was so exceptional it warranted a whole life order.
Ms Everard’s parents, Jeremy and Susan, clasped hands and hugged police officers after he was taken down to the cells.
Later, they issued a statement saying they were pleased with the sentence, adding: “Nothing can make things better, nothing can bring Sarah back, but knowing he will be imprisoned forever brings some relief.
“Sarah lost her life needlessly and cruelly and all the years of life she had yet to enjoy were stolen from her. Wayne Couzens held a position of trust as a police officer and we are outraged and sickened that he abused this trust in order to lure Sarah to her death.
“The world is a safer place with him imprisoned.”
In his sentencing, Lord Justice Fulford said Couzens had researched how best to commit his crimes for at least a month before abducting Ms Everard as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on the evening of March 3.
“You kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, having long planned a violent sexual assault on a yet-to-be-selected victim who you intended to coerce into your custody,” he told Couzens.
“You have irretrievably damaged the lives of Sarah Everard’s family and friends.”
The judge described Ms Everard as ‘a wholly blameless victim of a grotesquely executed series of offences that culminated in her death and the disposal of her body.’
“I have not the slightest doubt that the defendant used his position as a police officer to coerce her on a wholly false pretext into the car he had hired for this purpose,” he said.
“It is most likely that he suggested to Sarah Everard that she had breached the restrictions on movement that were being enforced during that stage of the pandemic.”
Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who was in court for the sentencing, is facing fresh calls to resign after the case sparked a national outcry.
Harriet Harman MP has asked Home Secretary Priti Patel to carry out urgent action to ‘rebuild the shattered confidence of women in the police service’ and told Dame Cressida she needed to step aside to ‘enable these changes to be taken through.’
Ms Everard, who lived in Brixton, south London, may have been alive for up to five hours before she was strangled to death.