This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
On July 9, 2021, a British police officer pleaded guilty to the murder of a woman whose disappearance sparked outrage and a national debate about women's safety.
Wayne Couzens, 48, who served in the Metropolitan Police's elite diplomatic protection unit, had already confessed to kidnapping Sarah Everard. He also pleaded guilty to her murder, appearing via video link at London's Old Bailey court.
Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing while walking home in south London on the evening of March 3, 2021. Her disappearance led to vigils and protests, and prompted the government to promise enhanced police patrols at night, as well as funding to make the streets safer for women.
On the day of the murder, Couzens had just finished a 12-hour shift. He had booked a hire car and bought a roll of self-adhesive cling film days before the murder, the court heard.
Camera footage from a passing bus appeared to capture the moment when Couzens intercepted Everard in Balham, south London, as the pair stood by the hire car.
The Metropolitan Police said that a post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as 'compression of the neck.'
Couzens is due to be sentenced at the end of September.
