}); I wonder when she realized she was in mortal danger; I wonder what her murderer said to her. 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 would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. There are again calls for Commissioner Dick to resign after yet another scandal on her watch after it emerged Couzens was nicknamed 'The Rapist' by former colleagues andexposed himself totwo women three days before he abducted and killed the marketing executive, 33, on the night of March 3 this year. Ms Everard had a boyfriend, named as marketing director Josh Lowth, 33. They had been desperate for news as the Met continued to maintain publicly there was no evidence she had come to harm. ', On Twitter, @andygibsonTV posted: 'I think your criminal record should be wiped clean for doing that fantastic public service.'. Police said they had received more than 120 calls from the public and visited 750 homes as part of their investigation into Miss Everard's disappearance. Lord Justice Fulford said Couzens tried to 'minimise his true responsibility' for what had occurred from the moment he spoke to police. What he has done is terrible. She meant everything. 'I can't believe this. Couzens appeared to shake in the dock as Mr Everard went on: 'You murdered our daughter and forever broke the hearts of her mother, father, brother, sister, family and her friends. It is understood the police breakthrough came after officers examined CCTV footage. Dramatic police bodycam footage has revealed how Wayne Couzens tried to spin pathetic lies after police raided his Kent home over the murder of Sarah Everard. John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: 'This predator is an absolute disgrace to the police service, and I am totally ashamed that he was ever a police officer. Mr Sturman emphasises the ease with which other accused might have advanced wholly false allegations as part of a defence, some of which might have involved slurs on the character and reputation of the deceased. Mr Sturman said Couzens's guilty pleas had saved the Everards 'the terror' of what the verdicts would be. 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. A great deal has been said in court over the last two days, I emphasise wholly properly, about the devastating, tragic and wholly brutal circumstances of the death of Sarah Everard; additionally, many details as to her demise, along with abundant observations as to what it symbolises, have been publicized by reporters, commentators and many others. The most important question in this sentencing exercise, therefore, revolves around a question of principle: if a police officer uses his office to kidnap, rape and murder a victim, is the seriousness of the offence exceptionally high, such that it ought to be treated in the same way as the other examples set out in paragraph 2(2). Dan Sales For Mailonline. Someone would have to know the area, to come here. Couzens then drove to a remote rural area north-west of Dover which he knew well where he parked up and raped Miss Everard. Prosecutor Tom Little QC suggested the case was so exceptional and unprecedented that it could warrant a whole life order, meaning Couzens would die in jail. The woman said she was working at a drive-thru on the A20 near Swanley in Kent at the start of February when she saw Couzens pulling up by the order hatch with his trousers down. 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. Breaking News. She was unable to confirm whether the remains belonged to the missing woman. Last Wednesday she visited a friend's house in Leathwaite Road, Clapham, leaving there at about 9pm. Wayne Couzens is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 29 September. 'The officer said they were from the Met and looking for a 'high risk missing person'.They had the helicopters out with their searchlights on until about 4am. He continued: 'These were uniform Covid patrols in which the Covid regulations were enforced. 'You should expect to see continued high levels of police patrols in that area as well as very significant investigative activity.'. Sarah wanted to get married and have children, now all that has gone. Police also revealed they are quizzing him on suspicion of indecent exposure against a second woman, unrelated to the missing 33-year-old. A missing persons inquiry started on Thursday evening and continued through Friday and onwards, said Tullet. You can't imagine anyone could do such a thing. The substantial CCTV footage and similar material does not give the slightest hint of someone in trauma, who has started to have second thoughts in the cold light of day about what they have done. Olena'ssister-in-law says the family still don't understand why he murdered her and their 'heads are spinning' from trying to come to terms with it. We could have looked after her and been with her. She added: 'We've released two new images of Sarah as we continue to search for her. Added to this, the aggravating features in the case are extensive. ", "She was sunshine and light, and made you feel warm and good and safe," said another friend. Detectives arrived at his house in Deal, Kent, at 5.45pm on Tuesday, March 9, six days after he snatched his victim. She had just spent 15 minutes chatting on it to boyfriend Josh Lowth, 33, after leaving a friend's home. Couzens is a member of the elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection squad a role that entitles him to carry a firearm and a Metropolitan Police warrant card. 'Please take a look at them and consider if you saw her on the night she went missing. Neighbours Kelvin and Belinda Neary recalled him as 'very quiet', but added he had once rescued an elderly tenant from her flat when a fire broke out. The detective asks him to tell him about the gang. By the time that exercise was complete, there was, in my view, no credible innocent explanation for the evidence gathered against him, and this is relevant to the issue of whether he has expressed genuine remorse or regret. eventAction: 'render' Each day dawns and I think, Sarah should be here, leading her life and embracing new experiences. A shirtless Couzens was led from the house in handcuffs with one witness saying: 'He looked very calm - just walked out'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was 'sickened' by the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah, adding: 'No woman should have to fear harassment or violence'; Wayne Couzens should be considered over unsolved murders and crimes, expert criminologists urged today as they said 'everything suggested he had done this before'; Harriet Harman today demanded under-fire Met chief Cressida Dick step down, as the force faced questions over how killer cop Couzens - nicknamed 'The Rapist' - was able to 'slip through the net' after a raft of missed opportunities; Priti says Scotland Yard has 'serious questions to answer' over the Everard murder with the force scrapping single-person patrols for plain-clothes officers after Couzens used it to kidnap Sarah; MailOnline can reveal that Couzens' wife Olena is believed to have watched the Old Bailey hearing remotely as her husband was jailed for the rest of his life. Mr Tullett has been a key figure in the investigation and the preparation of this case, going well beyond what could properly be expected of any police officer, and his role deserves high commendation. March 9: Police search gardens near Ms Everard's route and nearby Oaklands Estate. Tullet told the inquest that she had not been heard from since that moment. 'We are very pleased that Wayne Couzens has received a full life sentence and will spend the rest of his life in jail. 'What could she have thought she had done wrong? The prosecutor said he must have taken her mobile phone from her and removed the sim card, which he tried to destroy. The married father-of-two is a member of the elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection squad a role that entitles him to carry a firearm and a Metropolitan Police warrant card. On Friday March 12, Couzens self-harmed again by intentionally running into the wall of his cell head first. At no stage has he offered any kind of full explanation as to what occurred. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. When you forced yourself upon and raped her. He came to visit with the children and we all walked to the river and he helped me at home and in the garden. The murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens was 'a truly evil thing to do', Nick Price of the Crown Prosecution Service said. A simple post on Facebook on 14 June said: "Happy Birthday Sarah Everard. So in my view, something has to be done to rebuild that trust and confidence. She said Wayne was at work and everything was fine. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ ga('ads.send', { He had parked the Seat motorcar in Dover in an area where there were no houses close by, with the result that it was less likely than otherwise would have been the case that there would be witnesses to what occurred, including any signs of distress or resistance by Sarah Everard when she was transferred from the hire car to the Seat. , updated Third, ensuring that this hearing ran smoothly has been no small feat given the number of people to be accommodated in court and via CVP, along with the lingering logistical difficulties posed by the COVID pandemic. He has never disclosed the identity of his parents and . In total, 73 criminals have been sentenced to whole life terms. 'Sarah was handcuffed, unable to defend herself, and there was no one to rescue her. Josh Berry, replacing the injured Alex Bowman, shares a laugh with crew chief Alan Gustafson during Saturday's NASCAR Cup practice at Dover International Speedway. We laughed, we cried. Sarah Everard's parents Jeremy and Susan clasped hands and hugged police officers after Couzens shuffled out of the dock to be taken down to the cells. Couzens worked for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command after joining the Met in 2018, having transferred from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. Any explanation other than coercion fails to take into account her character and the evidence of the occupants of a passing vehicle who saw her being handcuffed. 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. In a statement, he said: 'Today our thoughts are with the family of Sarah Everard. Sarah Everard was the victim of 'deception, kidnap, rape, strangulation, fire', the Old Bailey heard at the start of her murderer's sentencing. "We could trust her to fight the good fight.". She was clever, but she was good at practical things too. Nothing can make things better, nothing can bring Sarah back, but knowing he will be imprisoned forever brings some relief. 'We share the wish of her family and friends to have her back safely with her loved ones.'. All police recruits undergo careful vetting to check whether they have a criminal record when they join the force. Police have visited 750 homes in the area and are analysing "a wealth" of CCTV recordings. Wayne Couzens, you kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, having long planned a violent sexual assault on a yet-to-be-selected victim who you intended to coerce into your custody. 'I tapped her on the shoulder and I punched her straight in the face. wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern and turquoise and orange trainers. As to the fourth question did the defendant intend from the outset to murder Sarah Everard? 'Wayne himself was a police officer, he told me when we had a chat about three months ago. Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people. We miss her all the time. All those conversations we can never have. Asked about the Met's description of Wayne Couzens as a 'former officer', Sir Stephen House said: 'We should own this. 'We recognise his actions raise many questions and concerns but we will not be commenting further until the hearing is complete. But in and amongst the words and the voices, two things must not be forgotten during this sentencing exercise. Miss Everard's sister wrote on Facebook: 'No words. The court heard that on Sunday March 7, Couzens took his wife and two children on a family trip to the woods where only days before he had burned Miss Everard's body. ', Another neighbour said: 'He kept himself to himself but I knew he was a policeman. }); The desperate search that led to patch of desolate woodland: How police spent days trying to piece together Sarah Everard's last known movements as 'human remains' are found in Kent, By Sam Greenhill and Glen Keogh for the Daily Mail. Dan Sales One of Ms Everard's friends said: "What I loved about her was that she had depth. When Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was asked if Josh Hart had changed much in the eight years they had known each other, he feigned exasperation . However, as Dr Latham has observed and this goes to answer the second question there is no link between the depression and these offences. 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'. 'The impact of what you have done will never end. The first thought you have in your head after despair and shock is - was she dead before you burnt her? Mrs Everard said she was 'repulsed' by the thought of what Couzens did. The hairbands were either for use in order to maintain an erection or as a means of restraint. She was a beautiful young woman in looks and character and our lives are the poorer without her. She was a beautiful dancer. 'I'm also asking delivery drivers or anyone with dashcam footage who would have been in the Poynders Road area at approximately 9.30pm on Wednesday to come forward.'. Hoping my sister was unconscious and drugged, but we know that was not the case - no drugs found in her body, no trauma to the head. 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. The next day, Ms Everard's body was discovered in awooded area of Ashford, Kent, around 100 metres from land owned by Couzens. At the police station, Couzens declined to provide samples of his DNA, saying it was on advice from his solicitor. Miss Everard's devastated family listened from the public gallery as the Old Bailey heard harrowing details of how Couzenstook her to a rural area and raped her, before later being seen buying Lucozade and other drinks from BP station with her body in boot, after she was believed to have been murdered. In my experience nobody makes their sexual fantasies a reality overnight. 'It suggests to me this wasn't his first offence. The source said there was 'so far no evidence' of a link, adding: 'You can't be 100 per cent certain at this stage but so far it is a leading line of inquiry that Sarah didn't know whoever attacked her.'. 'Aunty, growing old together and seeing who got the most wrinkles. Although it is equally impossible to say precisely when or where she was killed, it is highly likely that Sarah Everard had been murdered before 2.34 am when he left the Seat and bought some soft drinks at the BP Dover South Services. A homeowner near the latter said officers brandishing torches had descended on the former entrance of the now disused Great Chart Golf Course and adjacent derelict buildings around midnight. March 5: Sarah's family share missing posters of her after they become increasingly concerned that she is still not home, spreading the word online with links to the Missing People charity. We discovered Sarah there on the 10th March at about 4.20pm, he said. A McDonald's worker today revealed how Wayne Couzens exposed himself to her three weeks before killing Sarah Everard. There's a roundabout that breaks up, the first big roundabout you come to. He said: 'Several dogs picked up some scent and drew the attention of their handlers to a small pond. In all the circumstances, whilst it is accepted that the tariff period will be in well in excess of 30 years, the court is urged not to impose a whole life order. 'We are here to support the community and we genuinely want to help in any way we can.'. 'His nickname was apparently 'the rapist' at work, he had obviously other complaints of indecent exposures to women previous to Sarah's murder. In a statement, the family said: 'With every day that goes by we are getting more worried about Sarah. The ponds in the park were one of the first places searched, by officers in cold-water suits. That said, having determined, as I have, that there should be a whole life order, given the misuse of the defendant's role as a police officer and the serious aggravating features, self-evidently there can be no reduction for the defendant's guilty pleas. 'She lost her life because Wayne Couzens wanted to satisfy his perverted desires. Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole life orders - for her murder, the killings of Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. }); The horrendous murder of my daughter, Sarah, is in my mind all the time and will be for the rest of my life. }); He said the gang threatened him when he was with another prostitute and had been following him, turning up outside his home. Couzens had joined colleagues on uniformed patrols enforcing lockdown in January. It coincided with a string of increasingly sick behaviour which saw the married father-of-two flashing two women in McDonald's across two separate incidents. When did she realise that she wasn't going to survive the night? Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: 'The defendant's plot of land is very close to, and in the same woods, that he was to burn Sarah Everard's body after he had murdered her. Asked by presenter Emma Barnett how safe she would feel going to a male police officer at night with a problem, Ms Billingham said: 'At this moment in time, like any other woman, I have concerns and reservations, and that's why I say today we cannot dismiss Wayne Couzens as a one-off as a rarity, as an aberration. I hate to think of her being so scared and alone and that in her last moments she had no one with her. It is clear from the language of the schedule that this is not a closed list of cases. Ahead of the arrests on Tuesday, Ms Goodwin, who is leading the investigation, said there was no information to suggest Ms Everard had 'come to any harm'. However, she was unable to confirm whether the remains found in woodland in Ashford, Kent, were those of the missing woman, adding identification may take 'considerable time.'. New horrendous images forming. 'It may be his first killing but I would have thought he had toyed around with this and possibly have a long litany of encounters where he has used his ability to have power over others. A couple driving past the scene saw Couzens in the process of handcuffing Miss Everard, before leading her towards the hire vehicle. The investigation is being treated as a missing person's enquiry, but due to its complex nature it is being led by the Met's Specialist Crime Command. Jeremy was there, we were comforting her, saying 'it's alright Sarah, it's alright'. ', In July, Olena told MailOnline about her horror at what Couzens had done and that she kept on asking herself 'why?' Josh Lowth's girlfriend was Sarah Everard. Couzens went 'hunting a lone female to kidnap and rape' having planned in 'unspeakably' grim detail, the judge said, adding: 'Notwithstanding his guilty pleas, in my view the defendant throughout sought to minimise his true responsibility for what occurred. They knocked on our door and asked to search our buildings which of course was fine. Her burnt body still had her necklace and one earring in her ear - the other had fallen from her ear because it had burnt off. Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent Inquest in Maidstone adjourned until after trial of Wayne Couzens, accused of kidnap and murder. Years of predatory behaviour, days of planning, hours of scouting, and mere minutes to trap his prey. You have ruined so many lives. This preys on my mind all the time. He then banged his head against a wall while waiting for an ambulance. The fictitious traffickers supposedly threatened to harm his family if he did not provide them with a victim, and he felt he had 'no choice' but to snatch Miss Everard. Ms Woollard said: "Sarah has always been an exceptional friend, dropping everything to be there to support her friends, whenever they need her. Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick also attended court to hear how one of her own officers had abused his position and used his warrant card to kidnap Ms Everard 'by fraud' before detaining her 'by force'. Giving evidence at the inquest opening, acting DI Lee Tullett gave a brief outline of Everard's disappearance, noting that she had left a friend's house in Clapham, south London, at 9pm on 3 March.. Today, more than ever, we miss our strong, beautiful friend.'. They finally moved in at 7.45pm and arrested him when his children were getting ready for bed. The checks confirmed there was no information available to the Met at the time that would have changed the vetting decision. She had no choice in her name becoming a battle cry for change. There is no evidence of this suggested difficulty with the Seat and this explanation cannot survive the sequence of events prior to the defendant's departure for London and following his return with Sarah Everard, and particularly the manoeuvring of the vehicles. To stop you. On International Womens Day on March 8th this year, Josh reported Sarah missing via his Facebook profile and wrote at the time: Sarah is still missing. I yearn for her. The inquest heard that an initial postmortem following the discovery of Everards body did not provide a medical cause of death and pathologists would make conclusions after further examinations. They are between sort of Lenham, Maidstone area that I dropped her off. Couzens allowed his children to play in 'relatively close proximity to where Miss Everard's body had been dumped in the pond', he added. By Tania Ganguli. 'A nearside rear-facing camera shows a figure in the rear passenger seat (behind the driver),' Mr Little said. The incidents are not thought to be linked to Miss Everard's disappearance, but were reported to detectives investigating the case following Scotland Yard's appeal for information. pg.acq.push(function() { She added: 'When Sarah's burnt remains were found, we spent two terrible days waiting for tests to show how she had died, fearing she had been set alight before she was dead - the thought was appalling. 'You carry straight over to Maidstone, but instead I went round that roundabout and back up another road and at that point I was flashed and pulled over. 'You murdered our daughter and forever broke the hearts of her mother, father, brother, sister, family and her friends. 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. Given the singular nature of this case, that is entirely unsurprising. Prowling the streets for hours looking for his prey. 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. He hired a car on 28 February which he drove to London on 3 March. Mrs Roy added: 'He loved being a police officer. She lost her life because Wayne Couzens wanted to satisfy his perverted desires. She spent her last hours on this earth with the very worst of humanity. We have yet to see and say with certainty that this may not happen again.'. 'It was not the first time that he had done this when he came to McDonald's, but I was the only female member of staff to report it. He works as a marketing director at a company in London, according to reports. MailOnline has contacted the Met for comment. I remember all the lovely things about her: she was caring, she was funny. I will keep you updated throughout.'. When you forced yourself upon her and raped her.'. I spoke to him again this morning and we are waiting for an update from the police. The CCTV clip showed Couzens calmly laughing with a female attendant. Officers are looking through phones, computers and social media today. Pamela Cane, 77, who lives opposite Couzens, said the officer lived at the property with his wife, two young children and a pug dog. ', Sarah Everard, 14th June 1987 to March 2021. Sarah's family wept and made a final brave statement to tell Couzens, 48, 'the world is a safer place without you in it' as he became the first police officer in British history to receive a whole life sentence. Josh Lowth's age is 33 years old. But I never imagined that he would go on to murder a woman, it's tragic.'. 'We are so grateful to the police and all our friends for all they are doing. Below is a summary of Couzens' murder hearing in the order it was heard in court: wearing a pale blue face mask while shopping at a B&Q hardware shop in Dover, where he buys two green rubble bags for 9.94. She was then driven for two hours to Dover where he forcibly moved her from the hire car into his own black Seat before continuing along remote back roads to Hoad's Wood where he raped her, strangled her with his belt and stashed her body in a fridge. 'The police are doing everything they can and we are grateful to them. Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, the Government is trying to expand the use of whole life orders for premeditated murder of a child. All rights reserved. We will also give judges the discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to impose a whole life order on offenders aged 18 or over but under 21. Burst blood vessels in her brain from your strangulation.

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