Everard suspect is treated in hospital
THE Metropolitan Police officer suspected of kidnapping and murdering Sarah 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.
He was found collapsed and unconscious in his cell yesterday after suffering serious head wounds, according to the Sun.
The Met said: “The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment to a head injury sustained while in custody. He has since been discharged and returned to custody. We are not prepared to discuss further.”
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.
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.
On the day of Ms Everard’s disappearance, he 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.
A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
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.”
The events have prompted an outpouring of shock and anger as women across the country shared their own experiences of feeling unsafe. London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted the capital’s streets are not safe for women or girls when asked by LBC’S Shelagh Fogarty: “London’s streets are not safe for women, are they?”
He said: “No, they aren’t – or for girls – and it’s really important that people of my gender understand that. If you’re a woman or a girl, your experiences of our city, in any public space, whether it’s in the workplace on the streets, on public transport is very different to if you are a man or a boy, and it’s really important that people like me in positions of power and influence understand that and take steps to address that.”
A vigil called “Reclaim these streets” is due to take place at Clapham Common bandstand in south London tomorrow.
Meanwhile, MPS listened in silence as Labour’s Jess Phillips read out the names of women killed in the UK where a man has been convicted or charged as the primary perpetrator. The MP for Birmingham Yard listed the names of the almost 120 victims from the past 12 months. Afterwards, she said people had “prayed that the name of Sarah Everard would never be on any list” and urged everyone to work to ensure “nobody’s name ends up on this list again”.
Ms Everard vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat on March 3.