Murder of Sarah Everard

On the evening of 3 March 2021, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was kidnapped in South London, England, as she was walking home to the Brixton Hill area from a friend's house near Clapham Common.

She was stopped by off-duty Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens, who identified himself as a police officer, handcuffed her, and placed her in his car before transporting Everard to Dover.

Couzens subsequently raped and strangled Everard, before burning her body and disposing of her remains in a pond in nearby woodland.

On 9 March, Couzens was arrested in Deal, Kent, first on suspicion of Everard's kidnapping and later on suspicion of her murder.

Everard's remains were discovered in a densely wooded area near Ashford, Kent on 10 March; following their identification, Couzens was charged with her kidnapping and murder.

Vigils were held for Everard on the evening of 13 March.

The vigil on Clapham Common, near where she had disappeared, led to a controversial police response and four arrests for breaches of COVID-19 regulations.

The murder gave rise to widespread debate about the role of police in British society and women's safety in the UK.

On 8 June, Couzens pleaded guilty to Everard's kidnapping and rape, and admitted responsibility for her death.

On 9 July, he pleaded guilty to her murder.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order on 30 September.

Couzens will never be released from custody.

A public inquiry chaired by Lady Elish Angiolini KC was commissioned to investigate how Couzens was permitted to serve as a police officer despite an extensive history of alleged sexual offences.

Part One reported in February 2024.

Wayne Couzens (born 20 December 1972 in Dover, Kent) was educated at Castlemount School, Dover.

After taking GCSEs, Couzens worked as a mechanic in his family's garage.

Sarah Everard was born in Surrey in 1987.

She grew up in York, where she attended Fulford School.

He enlisted as a private with the Territorial Army in 2002, and over the following four years made multiple applications to become a police officer.

She studied Human Geography at St Cuthbert's Society, Durham University, from 2005 to 2008.

At the time of her death, Everard lived in the Brixton Hill area and worked as a marketing executive for a digital media agency.

He was employed as a special constable with Kent Police in 2006, and was discharged from the Territorial Army the following year for failing to fulfil training obligations.

In late 2010, Couzens was vetted for recruitment to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC).

In early 2011 he resigned from Kent Police, and took up the role of authorised firearms officer with the CNC.

He transferred to the Metropolitan Police (Met) in September 2018, working as a police constable and firearms officer.

In February 2020 Couzens was assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) branch, the division responsible for uniformed protection of government and diplomatic premises.

Couzens had not undergone enhanced vetting as part of his recruitment nor had he gone through the mandatory two-year probation period with the Met before joining the PaDP.

On 28 February 2021, Couzens booked a white Vauxhall car from a vehicle hire company in Dover.

At 07:00 GMT on 3 March, he completed a 12-hour shift at the US Embassy in London before travelling to Kent to collect the hire car.

He then drove back to London where he was recorded as being in Earl's Court and on Battersea Bridge.

After arriving in Clapham, he again drove to Earl's Court before returning to Clapham at 21:23.

At around 21:00, Everard left a friend's house on Leathwaite Road near Clapham Junction, west of Clapham Common.

She walked along the A205 South Circular Road across the common en route to her Brixton Hill home.

She spoke to her boyfriend on her phone for about 15 minutes and agreed to meet him the next day.

At 21:28, she was seen on doorbell camera footage on Poynders Road and four minutes later on the dashcam of a passing police car.

At 21:34, Couzens, who had parked the Vauxhall on the pavement outside Poynders Court, stopped Everard and showed her his police warrant card before handcuffing her.

The trial judge later said that he had probably claimed that he was arresting her for having breached COVID guidelines.

Couzens and Everard were twice captured by bus CCTV; the first instance at 21:35 showed them beside the hired Vauxhall and the second, at 21:38, showed the Vauxhall's number plate.

Around this time, Couzens and Everard entered the car and Couzens drove to Kent; the route of the car was retrospectively tracked using CCTV and ANPR.

By 23:43, Couzens and Everard were in Dover and had transferred to Couzens's personal SEAT car.