ARMED COP HELD ON SARAH MURDER
AN ARMED police officer was last night in custody suspected of killing Sarah Everard. The arrest of Wayne Couzens, a diplomatic protection officer based at the Palace of Westminster, was followed by the discovery of human remains in woodland. The 48-yearold father of two was being questioned by detectives over murder, kidnap and indecent exposure.
Miss Everard, 33, vanished eight days ago walking home in south London. Met chief
Cressida Dick said the remains were found by officers searching woodland near Ashford in Kent.
Describing the circumstances of Miss Everard’s abduction as ‘awful and wicked’, she said the arrest had ‘sent waves of shock and anger’ through the public and her force.
Earlier in the day, Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said investigators hoped Miss Everard was still alive, following the constable’s arrest on suspicion of kidnap on Tuesday night.
But hours later, Couzens was rearrested on suspicion of murder in a devastating blow for Miss Everard’s family, who were said to be ‘absolutely distraught’.
They had been desperate for news as the Met continued to maintain publicly there was no evidence she had come to harm.
But it was suggested last night that plain clothes officers may have been secretly monitoring the suspect’s movements for days.
Miss Everard’s distraught uncle Nicholas said of the arrest: ‘It’s shocking and very upsetting. We were not expecting a development like this and it’s difficult to make sense of it. I spoke to my brother straight away and he was as shocked as me. The whole family is and all our friends.
‘I could never have imagined that the investigation could have taken such an unexpected twist.’
Scotland Yard referred itself to the police watchdog last night over the arrest of its own officer and separately over the force’s actions after Miss Everard was reported missing. A woman in her 30s was also arrested on suspicion of aiding an offender.
The murder suspect, who was not part of the team investigating Miss Everard’s disappearance, has worked for Scotland Yard for a decade and has spent more than a year providing diplomatic protection for Parliament and diplomatic premises such as embassies.
As part of his armed duties protecting MPs and dignitaries, Couzens has provided static security for major public events attended by senior members of the Royal Family. All police recruits undergo careful vetting to check whether they have a criminal record when they join the force.
To be accepted into the elite Westminster armed unit, officers must face rigorous tests and firearms training.
Yesterday detectives carried out a search of Couzens’ locker at the police base in the Palace of Westminster, where he worked within the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
A team of 20 officers was also seen searching his £200,000 home in Deal, Kent.
Yesterday neighbours said officers had begun digging up the garden at the terraced property, which is around 80 miles from the scene of the alleged abduction.
The officer’s estate car was taken away on a low-loader trailer for examination.
Forensic officers were also seen photographing a motorcycle in his garage as part of searches.
A neighbour claimed plainclothed officers had been watching the property the day before the arrests, saying she spotted unmarked police cars in the street.
Then around 7pm on Tuesday, a large number of officers surrounded the house. Couzens was seen being led away in handcuffs
‘Digging up the garden’
to a police vehicle. Pamela Cane, 77, who lives opposite, said the officer lived there with his wife, two young children and a pug dog.
Describing the officer as ‘very friendly’ and part of a ‘perfect family’, she said: ‘The whole situation is horrifying.
‘I can’t believe this. The arrest is more shocking because he’s a police officer. Wayne would also fix bikes in his garage. He was known for helping people with them.’
Couzens first joined Scotland Yard from Kent Police after working at a family garage repairs business in Dover and a spell in the Territorial Army. Said to have an exemplary record, he once heroically rescued an elderly woman from her flat when a fire broke out, a former neighbour claimed.
Last night relatives leapt to his defence. His uncle Kevin Fowle said: ‘It has come as a shock. He’s never done anything untoward. There’s no other information I can give you other than he is a fine upstanding man.’
Yesterday the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing that Boris Johnson’s thoughts were with the missing woman’s family and friends.
Miss Everard was last seen on Wednesday on a doorbell camera walking from a friend’s house in Clapham on her way home to Brix
ton. Until last night officers had focused their search on parks and ponds in the Clapham area.
Her father Jeremy, 67, a professor of electronics at York University, and mother Sue, 64, a charity worker, travelled to London from their home in York to help the search.
But yesterday the focus of the search moved to Hoad’s Wood in Great Chart near Ashford, which was previously used for paintball and golf. It is understood the indecent exposure arrest is unrelated to Miss Everard.
Dame Cressida said last night: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with Sarah Everard’s family and her friends at this very difficult and painful time. This evening detectives and search teams investigating Sarah’s disappearance have very sadly discovered what we believe at this stage to be human remains.
‘The news today that it was a Metropolitan Police officer arrested on suspicion of Sarah’s murder has sent waves of shock and anger through the public and through the whole of the Met. I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say we are utterly appalled at this dreadful news. Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people.
‘Sarah’s disappearance in these awful and wicked circumstances is every family’s worst nightmare.
I know Londoners will want to know that it is thankfully incredibly rare.’