Sarah Everard: Met police officer charged with kidnap and murder
A serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with kidnapping Sarah Everard from a London street as she walked home and then murdering her.
PC Wayne Couzens was charged on Friday following an extensive investigation by homicide detectives. He will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday for his first hearing, the start of the process that leads to a full trial for murder.
In a day of fast-moving developments, the Met announced that human remains found in woodland in Ashford, Kent, on Wednesday had been formally identified as the 33-year-old marketing executive.
The decision to charge Couzens, 48, was made by lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which authorises criminal proceedings in England and Wales.
Rosemary Ainslie, head of special crime at the CPS, said: “Following a referral of evidence by the Metropolitan police related to the death of Sarah Everard, the CPS has authorised the police to charge Wayne Couzens with murder and kidnapping.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges to a court to consider.”
The Met said that hundreds of its officers were working on the investigation, supported by colleagues from Kent police.
Couzens was arrested at his home on Tuesday in Deal, Kent. He had previously worked at a garage run by his family in the county.
After the announcement of the charging of one of their officers, the Met revealed that he had been with the force for just over two years, starting as a local officer before being transferred to the unit guarding embassies in the capital.
In a statement the Met said: “[Couzens’] first posting was to south area, where he joined a response team covering the Bromley area. He then moved to the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command on 1 February 2020, where his primary role was on uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly a range of embassies.”
Everard went missing after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, at around 9pm. She is believed to have walked through Clapham Common on her way home to Brixton, a journey that should have taken around 50 minutes.
Her disappearance triggered a police investigation in which detectives scoured CCTV, video doorbell and bus camera footage for any clue as to what might have happened to her. Video taken from a doorbell camera captured Everard on the A205 Poynders Road walking towards Tulse Hill – the last known sighting of her alive.
Six days after she was last seen, the Met announced on 9 March that a serving officer had been arrested over her disappearance. Couzens was first arrested on suspicion of kidnap, and the next day arrested on suspicion of murder, and separately on suspicion of indecent exposure at a south London fast food restaurant.
The Met is under investigation by the police watchdog over the alleged incident of indecent exposure, which was reported on 28 February. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said it is investigating whether the allegation, three days before Sarah was kidnapped, was prop
erly investigated.
On Friday, the Met said it had received a report of a second incident in the same restaurant and on the same day. The complaints of indecent exposure are not related to the investigation into Everard’s death.
Also arrested with Couzens on Tuesday at the same location was a woman aged in her 30s on suspicion of aiding an offender. She has been released on bail until mid-April.
The Met confirmed that for the second time since his arrest, Couzens had been found to have sustained a head injury in his cell at a London police station, which is covered by CCTV, and had been taken to a hospital for treatment.
With vigils protesting against violence against women planned for this weekend – which police are warning may breach lockdown rules – Met assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave tried to heal any breach with sections of the community that the force serves, and said: “I know that the public feel hurt and angry about what has happened and those are sentiments that I share personally and I know my colleagues here at Scotland Yard and across the Met share as well.
“I also recognise the wider concerns that are being raised quite rightly about the safety of women in public spaces in London and also elsewhere in the country. This organisation and the men and women in it remain committed to protecting Londoners, wherever they are in this city. That commitment is undiminished by these events and if anything that commitment is strengthened by these tragic circumstances.”
The Met said extra patrols would be ordered on to the streets to offer reassurance.
Investigators are still appealing for information as they continue collecting evidence. A postmortem examination will try to determine the cause of death.
In a statement, Sarah’s family have told of their loss and the joy she brought to the lives of her family and friends: “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.”