This archive report was first published on 29 September 2021.
On March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing while walking home in south London. Her disappearance sparked one of Britain's most high-profile missing person investigations, sparking protests and a debate about women's safety on the streets.
Wayne Couzens, a 48-year-old serving British police officer, was later found to have kidnapped, raped, and murdered Everard. He had targeted her after finishing a shift at the US embassy, using his police belt to handcuff her and show his warrant card.
Security camera footage showed Couzens holding up the police ID, handcuffing Everard, and putting her into a car he had hired. A couple driving past in a car witnessed the scene but assumed an undercover police officer was making an arrest.
Couzens exploited his knowledge and experience of police patrols enforcing lockdown restrictions and knew what language to use. He took Everard to Dover, on the English south coast, where he transferred her to his own car and raped her.
He then strangled Everard and set her body on fire, dumping it in bags. Her remains were found in woodland a week after she was snatched.
Couzens was arrested at his home on March 9, just minutes after he deleted his phone data. He pleaded guilty to murder in July and was sentenced on September 29, 2021.
Everard's family gave emotional victim impact statements to the court, with her mother saying, 'My daughter lost her life because Couzens wanted to satisfy his perverted desires. It is a ridiculous reason.'
The Metropolitan Police said they were 'sickened, angered, and devastated' by Couzens' crimes, which 'betray everything we stand for.'
