Police officer Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to Sarah Everard murder
The Metropolitan police officer pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard at the Old Bailey on Friday morning.
Ms Everard, who was 33, went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham on 3 March. Her body was found a week later in woodland in Kent.
Wayne Couzens, a 48-year-old married father of two and police officer, accepted responsibility for killing and raping Ms Everard last month.
This morning, he pleaded guilty to her murder at the Old Bailey.
At the time of the murder, Couzens was a serving Metropolitan Police officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. His primary role was uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises.
The Metropolitan Police said the officer was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard’s kidnap.
A post-mortem examination last month found that Ms Everard died from compression of the neck.
The disappearance of 33-year-old marketing executive Ms Everard as she was walking home in South London sparked a national outpouring of concern about women’s safety.
Demonstrations and vigils were held across the UK to pay tribute to Sarah Everard. Thousands of women across the country took to social media to share personal experiences of walking on Britain’s streets.
Her disappearance deeply touched a nerve for women in the UK at the time, when walking was one of the few outdoor activities permitted during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.