In chilling CCTV footage, Couzens is seen driving behind Miss Everard before stepping out of the car and standing a few feet apart from her. March 6: Met Police release an appeal, saying Sarah was thought to have walked through Clapham Common, heading towards Brixton home, a journey of 50 minutes. As I have already rehearsed, there was significant planning and premeditation; the victim was abducted; there was the most serious sexual conduct; the defendant was responsible for significant mental and physical suffering which he inflicted on the victim before her death; and the defendant concealed and attempted to destroy Sarah Everard's body. But that did not completely describe what happened to Miss Everard, the court heard. As to the fourth question did the defendant intend from the outset to murder Sarah Everard? MailOnline has contacted the Met for comment. During the period before your arrest, there was never a moment when you gave the slightest indication of regret, following perhaps the realisation of the enormity of the dreadful crimes you had committed. Lord Justice Fulford asked the Crown if they were planning on bringing up evidence he had seen in written submissions that colleagues said Couzens was partial to 'brutal sexual pornography'. Imagine being relieved to hear your sister was dead before she was burnt. With apparent sincerity, the defendant gave the interviewing police officers a wholly false story in which he claimed he was a victim of threats which made him concerned for his family's safety. We could have looked after her and been with her. By Tania Ganguli. The post was shared with a thoughtful illustration by artist Charlie Mackesy that said, "Please help find Sarah Everard. The second week of March is a key date in the delivery and formulation event calendar. The twisted pair's relationship was featured in an ITV documentary, 'Rose West & Myra Hindley: Their Untold Story' which aired in September last year. We are aware of no other concerns raised by his colleagues or anyone regarding his behaviour.'. Police have visited 750 homes in the area and are analysing "a wealth" of CCTV recordings. Mr Little said: 'It follows that the defendant took his family on a family trip to the very woods where days earlier he had left Sarah Everard's body, then returned to burn it and then returned again to move it and hide it.'. If we do use them, they will be in pairs.'. The court heard he confessed to a psychiatrist that he had strangled Miss Everard with his belt, and the prosecution said her injuries were consistent with ones that would have been caused by his police belt. Burst blood vessels in her brain from your strangulation. However, as Dr Latham has observed and this goes to answer the second question there is no link between the depression and these offences. They search Couzens' home and garden as well as nearby Betteshanger Park which is around two-and-a-half- miles from the house as well as an abandoned leisure complex in Great Chart near Ashford. At the police station, Couzens declined to provide samples of his DNA, saying it was on advice from his solicitor. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 'So all I know it was, roundabout, we could drive there now, I could show you, roughly, I don't know, Lenham, Maidstone area at all.'. He is a wonderful family man, a wonderful man. As one of the dogs moved away, the bag appeared to come loose from the floor of the pond, floating upwards and opening up 'One of the officers reported that he could see what appeared to be a body in the bag.'. All those conversations we can never have. 'All my family want is Sarah back with us. "I can't sum her up in a few well-chosen words, nor express what she meant to me by sharing memories. she was raped and strangled to death. She was a beautiful dancer. Couzens says: 'OK, there was a white Sprinter van. The defendant put considerable effort into trying to avoid detection, both before and after these offences. She was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by the cop. and He said there will be 'occasions' where that is not possible - such as when a pair of officers are split up - and noted that off-duty officers not in uniform 'put themselves on duty' when they come across an incident. I am tormented at the thought of what she endured. The court was shown CCTV of the defendant's hire vehicle in Dover shortly after 11.30pm as he transferred his victim to his own car, a Seat. 'We all feel betrayed that Couzens abused his position as a police officer to commit such abhorrent crimes. He also signed up to an escort agency; In January 2021, Couzens worked on COVID patrols and 'used this knowledge' to kidnap his victim, who he stopped after doing laps of west and south-west London on the night of March 3, 2021; On February 10 he bought a 'police standard issue handcuff key with double locking pin' from Amazon, which he used on his police-issue cuffs to detain Sarah Everard and force her into his hire car; On February 28, Couzens booked a hire car online from Enterprise and ordered a 100m roll of carpet protector film from Amazon, used to line the boot where he eventually kept Sarah's body; He had told his wife that he was working a night shift when he grabbed Sarah - in fact he was off duty and cruising the streets looking for a victim; A couple driving past witnessed the kidnapping. The private, excoriating grief of friends and family seems to have been subsumed by the wider - albeit important and valid - reactions of protest and polemic, marches and mass mourning. Her mother Susan told the Old Bailey: 'Sarah died in horrendous circumstances. All of that suggests this is experienced behaviour.'. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Pamela Cane, 77, who lives opposite Couzens, said the officer lived at the property with his wife, two young children and a pug dog. There are 60 criminals still alive who are serving whole life orders, according to government figures to the end of June. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of But it has been claimed today thatCouzens,an armed diplomatic protection officer, worked a 2pm to 8pmshift guarding the USembassy close to Battersea Power station - less than three miles from where Miss Everard was last seen. Ms Everard grew up in York, with an older brother and sister. 'I don't know how anyone could be so cruel as to take my daughter's life. As to question five, Mr Sturman submits that a whole life tariff is an unusual, indeed exceptional form of sentence, that needs to be carefully and unambiguously justified, in that a borderline case should always be met with a determinate term. 'I still don't know, they just, I don't know, I just parked my car up and then the van come up behind me, flashed me, then they all jumped out and then they [inaudible] this girl. You find out no soot was found in her lungs which suggests she was burnt after you murdered her. , updated Your wife and children, who on all the evidence, are entirely blameless will have to live with the ignominy of your dreadful crimes for the rest of their lives. She added: 'We've released two new images of Sarah as we continue to search for her. When you put your hands around her neck and strangled her. ', In July, Olena told MailOnline about her horror at what Couzens had done and that she kept on asking herself 'why?' On March 5, at 11.05am, Couzens is seen buying a petrol canister and filling it up at a BP forecourt in Whitfield, Dover. 'I saw nothing wrong. Olena Couzens logged in to view the two-day hearing at the Old Bailey from an unknown location. Alex Cox. 'Having handcuffed her to the rear she would not have been able to undo the seatbelt that the defendant must have placed over her. The feeling of loss is so great it is visceral. Recalling Sarah's killing and Couzens subsequent arrest, Ms Obhukova said: 'She (Olena) learned about Sarah on the day when police came to their house. CCTV checks rapidly demonstrated he had lied throughout his account to the police. Susan Everard said she was 'incandescent with rage' at what he had done, saying he disposed of her daughter 'as if she was rubbish'. When you forced yourself upon her and raped her.'. Couzens' lawyer Jim Sturman QC, said it was from 2002 and was irrelevant. Since marrying Elena, 39, in 2006 after meeting online, Couzens had been trying to learn Ukrainian and visited the country every year although had missed 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions. He later disposed of the handset, driving a considerable distance to Sandwich on 4 March, simply to throw it in the river before immediately returning home, arriving at a time which would coincide with him having been on a normal night shift. I have taken into account the offences of kidnapping and rape in reaching that decision and on those counts I impose no separate penalty. His general movements in the early hours of the morning are known but precisely what he was doing at various stages, for instance when he travelled towards Ashford, is uncertain. 03:12 EDT 02 Oct 2021. Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: 'She must have realised her fate.'. 'I found out that a police officer had been arrested through the media last night. As to the third question, the significance of the account given by the defendant to Dr Latham, I accept this is not a verbatim account of what the defendant said, and it is only a summary for the purposes of the psychiatrist's consideration of the defendant's mental state. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met PC pleads guilty to Sarah Everard murder, Couzens was accused of indecent exposure in 2015, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Disney faces countersuit in feud with Florida, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He bragged it was 'perfect for day trips' - but it's where he burned Sarah's body and dumped it in bags in shallow water; Couzens took his family on a trip to the woods where he burned Miss Everard's body - allowing his children to play near where it was dumped; Phoned vet to arrange for an appointment to see his dog and handed in his Met Police firearms licence; Lied about being forced to 'pick up a girl' by an Eastern European gang who threatened his family; Admits to killing her with his belt - with prosecution saying injuries were consistent with his police belt; Couzens repeatedly self-harmed in his cell, as police divers found Miss Everard's phone in the River Stour; Miss Everard's father demanded killer 'look me in the face', mother said she was 'haunted' by murder and sister called Couzens 'a monster'; Court also heard how Couzens was 'attracted to brutal sexual pornography'. 'Sarah lost her life needlessly and cruelly and all the years of life she had yet to enjoy were stolen from her. He is a wonderful family man, a wonderful man. Detectives are said to have found the micro SD card during a search of the semi-detached property. The Met officer said: 'The evidence that you have on your dash-cam could be absolutely vital to finding Sarah.'. It is a ridiculous reason, it is nonsensical; how could he value a human life so cheaply? Specialist divers and officers with sniffer dogs were seen looking in ponds in nearby Agnes Riley Gardens. } No doubt following the sentence that I am about to pass more will be said and written. No kindness. Pressed by the detective, Couzens tells him: 'I am in financial s*** and I've been lent on by, I don't know who they are, an immigrant gang, whatever, and they told me I need to go and pick up girls and give them to them. It is this vital factor which in my view makes the seriousness of this case exceptionally high. The Schedule clearly has the objective of identifying the types or categories of cases which, as a matter of principle, are in themselves so serious that a whole life order ought to be the starting point. A shirtless Couzens was led from the house in handcuffs with one witness saying: 'He looked very calm - just walked out'. Around two hours later up to two dozen officers hidden around the corner are said to have sprinted into the property. They will never be considered for release, unless there are exceptional compassionate grounds to warrant it. I am incandescent with rage at the thought of it. hitType: 'event', Placed more emphasis on satisfying your sick disgusting perversions than on a life. "There is nothing anyone can say that will make things better for her family and loved ones. They disclose he has now been re-arrested on suspicion of the murder of Sarah Everard and the indecent exposure of a second woman. He has no prior previous convictions and some of his colleagues have spoken supportively of him. 'Three guys got out, opened my door, opened that door and pushed me out against the front of the car, took the girl, drove off, that's it. 'Nothing would surprise me about Wayne Couzens and Wayne Couzens' previous offending. No one ever goes through it because it's private. Police are believed to have swooped over something they saw on CCTV on a London bus that passed Sarah as she walked towards Brixton. Mr Little said it had been deliberately omitted. A passing couple witnessed the kidnapping but mistook it for an arrest by an undercover officer, the court heard. Her state of mind and what she had to endure over a journey of 80 miles and during the final hours of her life, would have been as bleak and agonising as it is possible to imagine. He lied when arrested, and initially ran an entirely false account in which he pretended that for two or three weeks he had been acting under the coercion of a gang from one of the Balkan countries who compelled him to abduct girls who he then handed over. We can only begin to imagine their suffering which will, of course, not end with this sentence. The Met is also facing questions about how its vetting process failed to pick up concerns around Couzens before he was made an armed officer in its elite Diplomatic Protection Group, which involved him guarding embassies, VIPs and members of the Royal Family. Scotland Yard are also said to be investigating whether he used the current Covid-19 lockdown rules to stop the missing woman as she walked home to Brixton from her friend's home in Clapham, south-west London on March 3. Since marrying her daughter in 2006, she said Mr Couzens had been striving to learn Ukrainian and had visited the country every year. Mr Little and Mr Sturman particularly have my thanks, along with their juniors. The inquest in Maidstone, Kent, was opened and adjourned after a brief hearing, and a decision as to whether it will be reopened will be taken after the trial of serving police officer Wayne Couzens. Her father Jeremy, 67, a professor of electronics at York University, and mother Sue, 64, a charity worker, are understood to have travelled to London from their home in York. To be accepted into the elite Westminster armed unit, officers must face rigorous tests and firearms training. The kidnap happened onPoynders Road (A205), with Couzens travelling in the same direction as Miss Everard. I visited them two years ago in the UK. 'I am incandescent with rage at the thought of it. Her future no longer exists. 'We say circular route taken by the defendant as well as the areas in which he was driving are consistent with the defendant looking for, indeed hunting for a lone young female to kidnap and rape, which is precisely what he did,' Mr Little said. After being re-arrested for Miss Everard's murder,he deliberately hit his head on the toilet bowl in his cell, sustained a cut to his head, and was taken to St George's Hospital. 'I'd seen that he had a motorbike and I had some problems with the exhaust on my bike and so went to see him to see if he could help. 'Our lives will never be the same. While on his five days' leave, Couzens had emailed his supervisor to say he felt 'unable to carry firearms'. The firearms officer, who had clocked off from a 12-hour shift at the American embassy that morning, drove to a secluded rural area near Dover in Kent, where he raped Ms Everard. It was reported that neighbours noticed a Land Rover parked close to the policeman's house in the historic town of Deal, and thought it was being watched by two men inside. I have no doubt that the defendant wished to use a motor car that was credible as a police vehicle, given the Seat was extremely untidy and given its appearance it was wholly improbable that it would have been used by a police office on duty. He hired a car on 28 February which he drove to London on 3 March. Don't believe him. A large number of significant items were then found at his home, prosecutor Mr Little said. He said it is 'understandable' for officers to think 'that's not how I behave, he's not one of us'. The court heard Miss Everard's kidnapping took less than five minutes. There are three tributes which I wish to pay. Lord Justice Fulford adjourned the case until Thursday when he will hand down his sentence. As critics questioned how the Met failed to spot a killer in their midst, Scotland Yard insisted they couldn't have known. He is quite clearly interested in uniform, sadism and masochism, control and handcuffs. Anyone who has seen Sarah or who has information that may assist the investigation should call the Incident Room on 0208 785 8244. It used to be a golf complex and a leisure facility with paintballing. But experts say the confidence in which he carried out the abduction shows he had done it before. This just sounds crazy to me.'. Josh Lowth is on Facebook. FAQ About Josh Lowth Q.1 Who is Josh Lowth? They refuse to say when or where the alleged indecent exposure took place. She said: 'I think first of all there are important questions and questions that I've been asking and challenges, we have to be honest about this, in particular to this case, but also the conduct of that serving officer and conduct of policing more broadly. He suggested he merely rented a car because he had problems with his own vehicle. Sarah was handcuffed, unable to defend herself and there was no one to rescue her. There can be no doubt as to the increasing sense of desperation on the part of Sarah Everard's family, her boyfriend and her other friends as it became increasingly clear that something untoward had happened to her. 'This is consistent with the location where the defendant burnt Miss Everard's body, clothing and possessions using the petrol he had purchased earlier that day,' Mr Little said. ADVERTISEMENT The Old Bailey heard horrific details of the serving police officer's deceit and Sarah's final hours before she was raped, murdered and burned in a pre-meditated attack that was weeks in the planning: The wife of killer cop Wayne Couzens silently watched him be jailed for the rest of his life remotely on a court camera feed. Mr Little said: 'In relation to finances at the material time his bank accounts were generally overdrawn only being brought into credit for short periods either by wages paid in and/or the use of short term payday loans. They are between sort of Lenham, Maidstone area that I dropped her off. Yesterday, Miss Everard's family and friends gave victim impact statements to the Old Bailey. I'm working full time, most of the time I'm dropping the children off at school and picking them up, I have a really busy lifestyle. In my judgment the police are in a unique position, which is essentially different from any other public servants. They are being helped in the search by her sister Katie and brother James. The very same day, he bought a roll of self-adhesive plastic described as "carpet protector" and booked the hire car he would use to abduct the marketing executive. The defendant's preparations included taking some of his police kit with him and lying to his family about working on the night of the murder, the Old Bailey heard. 'Whilst it is impossible to summarise what the defendant did to Sarah Everard in just five words, if it had to be done then it would be more appropriate to do so as deception, kidnap, rape, strangulation, fire,' said Mr Little. After her body was discovered in woodland, it became summarised by the hashtag 'she was just walking home', he said. Anita Rani hopes coronation coverage brings human moments and unknown quantity, BBC World Service launches emergency pop-up radio service for Sudan, Alan Carr to be part of judging panel for brand new ITV musical theatre show, Pubs in Highgate that have called last orders over the years, 2023 House of Commons Sitting By Abdul Mateen Riaz, World record crowd provides fitting end to historic Women's Six Nations, More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, Doja Cat and Lil Nas X arrive at the Met Gala, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Couzens is shown a picture of Miss Everard on a mobile phone and is asked: 'Do you know Sarah', but he replies: 'I don't, no. Couzens allowed his children to play in 'relatively close proximity to where Miss Everard's body had been dumped in the pond', he added. Mr Little said: 'She was detained by fraud. Mr Little said the CPS 'simply can't say whether it was approximate to the rape or in the hour or two after that' that Miss Everard was murdered. He said flytippers often dumped rubbish there, including old cars. The Met is already being investigated by the police watchdog for its alleged failure to investigate two flashings later attributed to Couzens at a McDonald's in south London three days before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Miss Everard. Couzens was involved in a dispute with the Met over his pay,' Mr Little said, adding: 'He talked freely to colleagues about this, and the fact that he was hoping to obtain legal assistance in the near future. After his final shift, Couzens drove back to his home in Kent in his own car, a Seat. Fifth, what are to be the terms of the life sentence that inevitably must be imposed? The horrendous murder of my daughter, Sarah, is in my mind all the time and will be for the rest of my life. You have taken from me the most precious person. CCTV footage captured by a passing bus showed Miss Everard in the back seat of Couzens' hire car after she was falsely 'arrested'. Mr Sturman admitted that Couzens still cannot face Sarah's parents, who are in court today and told him yesterday to look at them when they described their collective grief, torment and rage because of what he did to their daughter. It cannot be suggested in my view that the Metropolitan Police, even for a moment, attempted to close ranks to protect one of their own. Uniformed officers turned up and have been outside Wayne's house since then. He makes no excuses for his actions, he accepts he will receive, and he deserves, a severe punishment. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Drains were also inspected during the searches. Miss Everard had worked the day of March 3 at home, and planned to go to a friend's house near Clapham Junction to have dinner. In due course he cleaned the exterior of his Seat motorcar. His unit sometimes guards events attended by senior royals. Speaking outside Scotland Yard last night, a grim-faced Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick broke the news of the tragic discovery of human remains. His account on this issue was highly detailed and it was a complete fiction. Instead, he covered extensive distances in the capital, beyond doubt, as suggested by Mr Little, hunting a lone young female to kidnap and rape. pg.acq.push(function() { He works as a marketing director at a company in London, according to reports. I would give anything to hold her once more; I hope I dream that dream again.'. 'He started to make enquiries with the hospitals and emergency services, and reported Sarah as missing to the police. 'This is the type of equipment that it can be inferred that the defendant was wearing when he kidnapped Sarah Everard. Meriting particular mention are Detective Chief Inspector Catherine Goodwin, Detective Kim Martin and Acting Detective Inspector Lee Tullett. Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent Her life. Miss Everard was described by a former long-term boyfriend as 'extremely intelligent, savvy and streetwise' and 'not a gullible person', the Old Bailey heard. ', A cousin, Stefan Boyce, 29, said he was shocked to hear of his arrest, saying: 'It's quite frightening. I find it hard to believe she is not just living her own life and sick at the thought that her last moments on this earth alive were so horrific. 'The fact he did suggests he thought he was safe and that must come from the fact he has done something similar in the past. I play it out in my mind. The court also heard how Couzens had been paying for sex with escorts and had a Match.com profile under a fake name. But it was suggested last night that plain clothes officers may have been secretly monitoring the suspect's movements for days. and Even as his story unravelled, the cowardly killer clung to his lies and has still refused to tell police the truth about what he did, to the enduring agony of his victim's family. And he should be.'. 'He had a total debt of just under 29,000 with a number of financial institutions, which were the subject of a debt management plan agreed in Oct 2020 with a debt management company, Payplan, with agreed monthly repayments of 235. Sarah Everards former boyfriend has described her as intelligent, savvy and streetwise. Sister Katie Everard wept as she said: 'My only hope is that she was in a state of shock and that she wasn't aware of the disgusting things being done to her by a monster. }); On March 10, the killer told a custody nurse that he 'experiences anxiety and depression'. By then both he and a brother had become policemen. I think some kind of public appeal would be a good idea. Such a sentence is reserved for the few exceptionally serious offences in which, after reflecting on all the features of aggravation and mitigation, the judge is satisfied that the element of just punishment and retribution requires the imposition of a whole life order. 'She was detained by fraud. He also is likely to have wanted to avoid his own car being identified as having been in the relevant area when he kidnapped his victim. These I have already described, and they included lying to his family and purchasing the items I have set out, along with the various steps he took following the killing. Bound in your car? Ms Everard should have had a brilliant future, a lot to look forward to. hitType: 'event', After he killed Ms Everard, he bought builders' bags, a tarpaulin and a cargo net, wiped his phone and concocted an implausible and time-wasting web of lies about his involvement in her disappearance. 1 -Couzens has been linked to an incident three days before Miss Everard was kidnapped which saw two members of staff being flashed at a branch of McDonald's in south London. Who is Josh Lowth? By 2008, he was a traffic officer with Kent Police in Folkestone. He works as a marketing director at a company in London,. So badly burnt you can't see her.