{{Short description|2021 murder in England}} {{Use British English|date=January 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox civilian attack | title = Murder of Sarah Everard | image = | caption = | date = {{c.|{{start date|2021|3|4|df=y}}}}{{efn|name=date|Everard was kidnapped on the evening of 3 March and was likely murdered in the early hours of 4 March<ref name="Sentencing Remarks"/>{{rp|2–3}}}} | location = Kent, England | time = | timezone = | type = Murder by strangulation, rape, kidnapping | place = | verdict = | perp = Wayne Couzens | victim = Sarah Everard | convictions = Murder, kidnapping, rape {{Infobox event | title = | child = yes | sentence = Life imprisonment (whole life order) }} }} 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 and handcuffed her. He drove Everard to Kent, where he raped and strangled her before burning her body and disposing of her remains in a pond in woodland.
On 9 March, Couzens was arrested in Deal, first on suspicion of Everard's kidnapping, and then a day later on suspicion of her murder. Everard's remains were discovered in a densely wooded area near Ashford 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 been kidnapped, 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. On 9 July, he pleaded guilty to her murder. On 30 September, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.
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. The first part of the report, published in February 2024, found that Couzens had a history of alleged sexual offending and that failings in the vetting process allowed him to become a police officer.
==Background==
=== Sarah Everard === {{Infobox person | name = Sarah Everard | image = Sarah Everard.jpg | caption = | birth_date = 1987 | birth_place = Surrey, England | disappeared_date = 3 March 2021 | death_date = {{c.|{{start date|2021|3|4|df=y}}}}{{efn|name=date}} | death_cause = Compression of the neck | body_discovered = Hoad's Wood, near Ashford, Kent | education = St Cuthbert's Society, Durham University (2005–2008) | occupation = Marketing executive }}
Sarah Everard was born in Surrey in 1987.<ref name="Evans 2021 0311">{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Martin |title=Sarah Everard profile: 'Caring and fun-filled' marketing executive attracted friends wherever she went |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/11/sarah-everard-profile-caring-fun-filled-marketing-executive/ |access-date=13 March 2021 |work=The Daily Telegraph|quote="Born in Surrey in 1987, she was the youngest of three children"|date=11 March 2021}}</ref> She grew up in York, where she attended Fulford School.<ref name="Laycock 2021">{{cite news |last=Laycock |first=Mike |title=York head teacher speaks of 'great sadness' at former pupil's disappearance |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/19153014.fulford-head-tells-great-sadness-ex-pupils-disappearance/ |access-date=13 March 2021 |work=York Press|date=11 March 2021 }}</ref> She studied Human Geography at St Cuthbert's Society, Durham University, from 2005 to 2008.<ref name="Strick 2021">{{cite news |last=Strick |first=Katie |date=11 March 2021 |title=Who is missing woman Sarah Everard and what do we know about her? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/who-missing-sarah-everard-what-do-we-know-b923327.html |work=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 56331950">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Met officer questioned after remains found |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56331950 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=11 March 2021 |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> At the time of her death, Everard lived in the Brixton Hill area and worked as a marketing executive for a digital media agency.<ref name="Strick 2021"/><ref name="Evans 2021 0310">{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Martin |date=10 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: An 'incredibly kind friend' who was hugely excited for her future |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/10/sarah-everardan-incredibly-kind-friend-hugely-excited-future/ |work=The Daily Telegraph |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Marsh 2021">{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Sarah |date=10 March 2021 |title='Distraught': torrid week for Sarah Everard's loved ones ends in arrest |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/10/we-miss-our-friend-sarah-everard-loved-ones-hope-for-her-safe-return |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref>
=== Wayne Couzens === Wayne Couzens was born in Dover, Kent, on 20 December 1972.<ref name="CPS 2021b">{{cite web |title=Wayne Couzens sentenced to whole life term for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/wayne-couzens-sentenced-whole-life-term-kidnap-rape-and-murder-sarah-everard |website=www.cps.gov.uk |publisher=Crown Prosecution Service |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317221758/https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/wayne-couzens-sentenced-whole-life-term-kidnap-rape-and-murder-sarah-everard |archive-date=17 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Skopeliti Mathers 2021">{{cite news |last1=Skopeliti |first1=Clea |last2=Mathers |first2=Matt |date=30 September 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens profile: The police officer who murdered Sarah Everard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/wayne-couzens-history-sarah-everard-b1929860.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/wayne-couzens-history-sarah-everard-b1929860.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> He was educated at Castlemount School,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hill |first=Phil |date=10 July 2021 |title=Somerset man Warwick Lewis on his schoolfriend, killer Wayne Couzens |url=https://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/somerset_news/19434225.somerset-man-warwick-lewis-schoolfriend-killer-wayne-couzens/ |work=Chard and Ilminster News}}</ref> and after taking GCSEs worked as a mechanic in his family's garage.<ref name="Inquiry Part 1">{{cite web |title=The Angiolini Inquiry – Part 1 Report |url=https://iipcv-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/E02740018_Angiolini-Inquiry.pdf |publisher=The Angiolini Inquiry |access-date=29 February 2024}}</ref>{{rp|18}}<ref name="Skopeliti 2021">{{cite news |last1=Skopeliti |first1=Clea |last2=Mathers |first2=Matt |title=Wayne Couzens profile: The police officer who murdered Sarah Everard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/wayne-couzens-history-sarah-everard-b1929860.html |access-date=5 March 2024 |work=The Independent |date=30 September 2021}}</ref> He enlisted as a private with the Territorial Army in 2002,<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|21}} and over the following four years he unsuccessfully applied to become a police officer on three occasions. He joined Kent Police as a special constable in 2006,<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|24}} and was discharged from the Territorial Army the following year for failing to fulfil training obligations.<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|24}}
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 an authorised firearms officer with the CNC. He transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) in September 2018,<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|33}} working as a police constable and firearms officer.<ref name="Blackall 2021 0930">{{cite news |last=Blackall |first=Molly |title=All the warning signs that were missed before Wayne Couzens brutally murdered Sarah Everard |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/sarah-everard-murder-killer-wayne-couzens-could-have-been-stopped-1225004 |work=i |language=en-GB |date=30 September 2021 |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dodd 2021 0312b">{{cite web |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |date=12 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Met police officer charged with kidnap and murder |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/12/sarah-everard-met-police-officer-wayne-couzens-charged |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref> In February 2020,<ref name="Sentencing Remarks">{{cite web |author=Lord Justice Fulford |title=Wayne Couzens: Sentencing Remarks |url=https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Wayne-Couzens-Sentencing-Remarks-1.pdf |publisher=Courts and Tribunals Judiciary |access-date=1 October 2021 |date=30 September 2021}}</ref>{{rp|2}} Couzens was assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) branch,<ref name="Evans et al 2021">{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Martin |last2=Roberts |first2=Lizzie |last3=Bird |first3=Steve |last4=Horton |first4=Helena |date=10 March 2021 |title=Scotland Yard officer arrested on suspicion of murder in Sarah Everard case |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/10/scotland-yard-officer-arrested-suspicion-murder-sarah-everard/ |access-date=11 March 2021 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> the division responsible for uniformed protection of government and diplomatic premises.<ref name="Morrison 2021">{{cite news |last=Morrison |first=Sean |date=11 March 2021 |title=Officer in custody as human remains found in hunt for Sarah Everard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sarah-everard-metropolitan-police-officer-ashford-kent-clapham-cressida-dick-b923441.html |work=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> 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 PaDP.<ref name="Blackall 2021 0930"/><ref name="Keay 2021">{{cite news |last=Keay |first=Lara |date=1 October 2021 |title=Sarah Everard murder: The five questions the police still need to answer about Wayne Couzens |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-the-four-questions-the-police-still-need-to-answer-about-wayne-couzens-12421848 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
==Incident and investigation== On 28 February 2021, Couzens booked a white Vauxhall Crossland<ref name="Mercer 2021">{{cite news |last1=Mercer |first1=David |last2=Whiteside |first2=Philip |last3=Brunt |first3=Martin |last4=Hughes |first4=Andy |title=Sarah Everard murder: How killer policeman Wayne Couzens was caught - and the lengths he went to cover up his crime |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-how-killer-policeman-wayne-couzens-was-caught-and-the-lengths-he-went-to-cover-up-his-crime-12419714 |access-date=9 August 2024 |work=Sky News |date=2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001063819/https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-how-killer-policeman-wayne-couzens-was-caught-and-the-lengths-he-went-to-cover-up-his-crime-12419714 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref> from a vehicle hire company in Dover.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0709">{{cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram|date=9 July 2021 |title=How a white Vauxhall Astra led police to Sarah Everard's killer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-white-vauxhall-astra-police |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> At 07:00 GMT on 3 March,<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929">{{cite news |last=Siddique |first=Haroon |title=Wayne Couzens timeline: footage shows movements before murdering Sarah Everard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/29/wayne-couzens-timeline-footage-shows-movements-before-murdering-sarah-everard |access-date=30 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=29 September 2021}}</ref> he completed a 12-hour shift at the US Embassy in London<ref name="Coles Hayes 2021 0930">{{cite news |last1=Coles |first1=Amy |last2=Hayes |first2=Andy |title=Sarah Everard: Images show victim with her killer Wayne Couzens moments before he abducted her, court hears |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-broken-sim-card-fragments-from-marketing-executives-phone-found-in-wayne-couzens-car-court-hears-12421032 |access-date=30 September 2021 |work=Sky News |date=29 September 2021 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Daniel Wood 2021">{{cite news |last1=Daniel |first1=Hugo |last2=Wood |first2=Poppy |date=29 September 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens used Covid laws to handcuff and 'arrest' Sarah Everard before murdering her |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/wayne-couzens-sarah-everard-killer-handcuffed-arrested-sentencing-court-latest-news-1223300 |work=i |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref>
At around 21:00, Everard left a friend's house on Leathwaite Road<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> near Clapham Junction, west of Clapham Common.<ref name="BBC 56331950"/><ref name="Blackall 2021 0307">{{cite news|last=Blackall |first=Molly |date=7 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: new CCTV footage of missing woman emerges|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/07/sarah-everard-new-cctv-footage-of-missing-woman-emerges |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 56404030">{{cite news|title=Sarah Everard: Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in court|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56404030 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=16 March 2021 |access-date=16 March 2021}}</ref> She walked along the A205 South Circular Road across the common en route to her Brixton Hill home.<ref name="Strick 2021"/><ref name="Evans et al 2021"/><ref name="Blackall 2021 0307"/> She spoke to her boyfriend on her phone for about 15 minutes and agreed to meet him the next day.<ref name="Strick 2021"/> At 21:28, she was seen on doorbell camera footage on Poynders Road<ref name="BBC 56351135">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard disappearance: Met officer arrested on suspicion of murder |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-56351135 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=10 March 2021 |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> and four minutes later on the dashcam of a passing police car.<ref name="Strick 2021"/><ref name="BBC 56331950"/><ref name="Glass Fox 2021">{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Jess |last2=Fox |first2=Aine |name-list-style=and |date=13 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard's body found in builder's bag, court told |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sarah-everard-body-found-builder-123219609.html |access-date=16 March 2021 |work=Yahoo! News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
At 21:34, Couzens, who had parked the Vauxhall on the pavement outside Poynders Court,<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> stopped Everard and showed her his police warrant card before handcuffing her.<ref name="BBC 58733714">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens given whole-life sentence |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58747614 |work=BBC News|language=en-GB |date=30 September 2021 |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref> The trial judge later said that he had probably claimed that he was arresting her for having breached COVID guidelines.<ref name="Sentencing Remarks"/>{{rp|2}}<ref name="Dearden 2021 0722">{{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |date=9 July 2021 |title=From CCTV to a hire car: How the Sarah Everard murder was solved |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-caught-car-b1881138.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-caught-car-b1881138.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=22 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 58739421">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: 'Our lives will never be the same again' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58739421 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=29 September 2021 |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> Couzens and Everard were twice captured by bus CCTV;<ref name="Evans et al 2021"/><ref name="Glass Fox 2021"/> the first instance at 21:35 showed them beside the hired Vauxhall and the second, at 21:38, showed the Vauxhall's number plate.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0709"/> Around this time, Couzens and Everard entered the car and Couzens drove to Kent;<ref name="BBC 58733714"/><ref name="Brunt 2021">{{cite news |last=Brunt |first=Martin |date=29 September 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens handcuffed and arrested Sarah Everard before killing her, court hears |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-may-have-used-covid-lockdown-rules-to-arrest-and-handcuff-murder-victim-12420944 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref> the route of the car was retrospectively tracked using CCTV and automatic number-plate recognition.<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709">{{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |date=9 July 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to murdering Sarah Everard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/wayne-couzens-sarah-everard-murder-latest-b1881045.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/wayne-couzens-sarah-everard-murder-latest-b1881045.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref>
By 23:43, Couzens and Everard were in Dover and had transferred to Couzens's personal SEAT car. Between 23:53 and 00:57 on 4 March, Couzens's mobile phone connected to cell sites in the Shepherdswell area;<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> it is believed that he raped Everard at some point between midnight and 01:45.<ref name="Sentencing Remarks"/>{{rp|3}} At 02:34, Couzens purchased drinks from a Dover petrol station; it is likely that he had strangled Everard using his police duty belt by this time.<ref name="Sentencing Remarks"/>{{rp|3}}<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/><ref name="BBC 58745581">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens could face whole-life sentence |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58745581 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=30 September 2021 |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Didd Sidique 2021">{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Siddique |first2=Haroon |title=Wayne Couzens 'used police ID and handcuffs to kidnap Sarah Everard' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/29/wayne-couzens-used-police-id-to-kidnap-sarah-everard-court-told |access-date=1 October 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=29 September 2021}}</ref> Couzens then drove to Hoad's Wood near Ashford, where he owned a plot of land. His car was captured on CCTV in the area between 03:22 and 06:32 before driving back to Dover to switch back into his rental car before returning it at 08:26.<ref name="Hamilton 2021 0930">{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Fiona |date=30 September 2021 |title=Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens 'filled with self-loathing and shame' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/sarah-everards-parents-confront-wayne-couzens-in-court-frt8cqpwf |work=The Times |language=en-GB |access-date=29 November 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129174948/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sarah-everards-parents-confront-wayne-couzens-in-court-frt8cqpwf |archive-date=29 November 2021}}</ref> After Couzens returned the hire car,<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709"/><ref name="Siddique 2021 0601">{{cite news |last=Siddique |first=Haroon |date=1 June 2021 |title=Sarah Everard died from compression of the neck, say police |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/01/sarah-everard-died-from-compression-of-the-neck-say-police |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 57260746">{{cite news |date=1 June 2021 |title=Sarah Everard died from compression of the neck |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57260746 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> he drove his personal car to Sandwich, Kent, disposing of Everard's mobile phone in one of the town's watercourses at 09:21.<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/><ref name="Coles Hayes 2021 0930"/><ref name="Hamilton 2021 0930"/> Later that day, Everard's boyfriend contacted the police after she did not meet him.<ref name="Strick 2021"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Mustafa |first=Filiz |date=1 October 2021 |title=Sarah Everard's boyfriend described her as 'intelligent and streetwise' |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/10/01/sarah-everard-boyfriend/?amp |website=HITC |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref>
In the days after the murder, Couzens told senior colleagues that he was suffering from stress and no longer wanted to carry a gun.<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709"/> On 5 March, shortly after 11:00, Couzens bought and filled a petrol container at a service station in Whitfield.<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> He then returned to Hoad's Wood, where his car was captured on CCTV at 12:37,<ref name="Hamilton 2021 0930"/> and burned Everard's body inside a refrigerator.<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/><ref name="Coles Hayes 2021 0930"/> At 13:47 he bought two large builder's bags from B&Q before returning to Hoad's Wood on 7 March,<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> where he used one of the bags to dispose of Everard's remains in a pond.<ref name="BBC 58746108">{{cite news |last=Morton |first=Becky |date=30 September 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: How Wayne Couzens covered up her murder |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58746108 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref> On 8 March, he reported himself ill from work,<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709"/> handing in his equipment including his police belt and handcuffs.<ref name="Hamilton 2021 0930"/>
At 16:20 on 10 March, police searching Hoad's Wood found human remains in a large builder's bag, approximately {{convert|100|m}}<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709"/> from Couzens's plot.<ref name="Glass Fox 2021"/><ref name="BBC 56442376">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard death: Inquest opened and adjourned |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56442376 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=18 March 2021 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dodd 2021">{{cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |date=10 March 2021 |title=Human remains found in the search for missing London woman Sarah Everard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/10/human-remains-found-in-the-search-for-missing-london-woman-sarah-everard |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> Police in Dover also searched the site of a former body repair garage, previously owned by Couzens's family,<ref name="Stott 2015">{{cite news |last=Stott |first=Emily |date=24 June 2015 |title=BCB Dover closes its doors for final time after trading for 48 years |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/end-of-road-for-garage-39054/ |work=Kent Online |language=en-GB |access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref> at the top of the White Cliffs.<ref name="Collier 2021">{{cite news |last=Collier |first=Henry |date=10 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard search: Police presence at former family garage of Wayne Couzens |url=https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/sarah-everard-search-police-presence-5123541 |work=Kent Live |language=en-GB |access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hamilton et al 2021">{{Cite news |last1=Hamilton |first1=Fiona |last2=Brown |first2=David |last3=Simpson |first3=John |last4=Parker |first4=Charlie |last5=Brown |first5=Larisa |date=12 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard's attacker 'was a stranger' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/sarah-everards-attacker-was-a-stranger-87mpf35d5 |website=The Times |language=en-GB |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> On 12 March, Everard's body was identified through dental records.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0312a">{{cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |date=12 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: body found in Kent woodland is that of missing woman |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/12/sarah-everard-remains-found-kent-woodland-those-of-missing-woman |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 56371163">{{cite news |title= Sarah Everard: Body found in woodland confirmed as that of missing woman |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56371163 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=12 March 2021 |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Sky 12244460">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: 33-year-old's body found in large bag, court hears as police officer remanded into custody |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-police-officer-wayne-couzens-appears-in-court-charged-with-kidnap-and-murder-12244460 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |date=13 March 2021 |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Two days later, police focused a search operation around The Rope Walk in Sandwich, and cordoned off approximately {{convert|1|mi2|spell=in}} of the town.<ref name="BBC 56399057">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard killing: Police search Sandwich town centre |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56399057 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=15 March 2021 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Leclere 2021">{{cite news |last=Leclere |first=Matt |date=14 March 2021 |title=Waterside path and recycling bin cordoned off in Sarah search |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sandwich/news/police-open-new-search-in-sarah-investigation-243958/ |work=Kent Online |language=en-GB |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Guardian Sandwich 2021">{{Cite news |title=Sarah Everard: officers investigating killing cordon off area in Sandwich |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/officers-investigating-sarah-everard-killing-cordon-off-area-in-sandwich |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |date=15 March 2021 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> On 16 March, police continued to comb woodland in Kent and police divers in Sandwich searched underwater for Everard's mobile phone.<ref name="Drummond 2021">{{Cite news |last=Drummond |first=Michael |date=16 March 2021 |title=Police continue to comb woodland and water in Everard investigation |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sarah-everard-investigation-metropolitan-police-woodland-water-kent-b924407.html |website=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=16 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dunne 2021">{{Cite news |last=Dunne |first=John |date=17 March 2021 |title=Police trawl through woods in hunt for Sarah Everard's mobile |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sarah-everard-police-woods-hunt-mobile-phone-b924633.html |website=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref>
Everard's funeral took place on 22 May at Heslington Church in Heslington, near York.<ref name="Amalaraj 2021">{{cite news |last=Amalaraj |first=Perkin |date=26 May 2021 |title=Sarah Everard Funeral Held in York |url=https://www.yorkvision.co.uk/news/sarah-everard-funeral-held-in-york/26/05/2021 |work=York Vision |access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>
The results of a post-mortem held at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford were released on 1 June.<ref name="Thompson 2021">{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Flora |date=1 June 2021 |title=Sarah Everard strangled to death while walking home, post-mortem finds |url=https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/sarahs-everard-post-mortem-reveals-5478411 |work=Kent Live |access-date=16 December 2021}}</ref> It concluded that Everard had died from compression of the neck.<ref name="Siddique 2021 0601"/><ref name="BBC 57260746"/>
== Legal proceedings == === Arrest of Wayne Couzens === On 9 March 2021,<ref name="Siddique 2021 0929"/> Couzens was arrested at his home in Deal<ref name="Dodd 2021 0312b"/><ref name="Morrison 2021"/> on suspicion of kidnapping.<ref name="BBC 56351135"/> Police arrived at his house at 17:45 and arrested Couzens at 19:47.<ref name="Sky News 12421024">{{cite web|last=|first=|date=30 September 2021|title=Sarah Everard killing: Reaction as Wayne Couzens given whole-life term for killing Sarah Everard|url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everards-killer-sentenced-live-wayne-couzens-to-learn-if-he-will-spend-the-rest-of-his-life-in-jail-12421024|access-date=12 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930181345/https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everards-killer-sentenced-live-wayne-couzens-to-learn-if-he-will-spend-the-rest-of-his-life-in-jail-12421024|archive-date=30 September 2021|website=Sky News|quote=14:08 Details of Wayne Couzens' arrest revealed in court: Police attended his house at about 5.45 pm on 9 March but did not approach the property. Shortly after 7 pm, Couzens had re-set his mobile phone to factory settings. Two detectives then visited the house at 7.45 pm and Couzens was arrested on suspicion of Ms Everard's kidnap, the court hears.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001x0x8/sarah-everard-the-search-for-justice |access-date=5 March 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Around 40 minutes before he was arrested, Couzens tried to wipe the data from his mobile phone.<ref name="Dearden 2021 0722"/> When interviewed, he claimed initially not to recognise Everard after being shown a photograph of her.<ref name="Coles Hayes 2021 0929">{{cite news |last1=Coles |first1=Amy |last2=Hayes |first2=Andy |date=29 September 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Images show victim with her killer Wayne Couzens moments before he abducted her, court hears |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-images-show-victim-with-her-killer-wayne-couzens-moments-before-he-abducted-her-court-told-12421032 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> He then claimed to be having financial problems after paying for sex in Folkestone,<ref name="Dearden 2021 0709"/> and that a gang of Eastern Europeans had threatened him and his family, demanding he deliver "another girl" after underpaying a prostitute a few weeks before.<ref name="Pettifor Warburton Jones 2021">{{cite web |last1=Pettifor |first1=Tom |last2=Warburton |first2=Dan |last3=Jones |first3=Victoria |name-list-style=amp |date=9 July 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens' web of lies after blamed abduction on being blackmailed by gangs |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/elaborate-web-lies-wayne-couzens-21010131 |access-date=28 December 2024 |website=WalesOnline}}</ref> A woman in her thirties was also arrested at the address on suspicion of assisting an offender<ref name="Dodd 2021"/> but subsequently released without charge.<ref name="Peltier 2021">{{cite news |last=Peltier |first=Elian |date=12 March 2021 |title=British Police Officer Charged With Murder in Killing of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/world/europe/uk-sarah-everard.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>
On 10 March, the day Everard's remains were discovered, Couzens was re-arrested on suspicion of murder.<ref name="Dodd 2021"/> On 11 March, Couzens was hospitalised following a head injury sustained in custody; he was again briefly hospitalised the following day after a similar injury.<ref name="BBC 56331950"/><ref name="BBC 56385657">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Wayne Couzens appears in court charged with murder |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56385657 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=13 March 2021 |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> After the incident on 11 March, police said the injury was sustained while he was alone in his cell.<ref name="BBC 56368531">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard case: Met police faces watchdog investigation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56368531 |work=BBC News |date=12 March 2021 |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref>
Couzens was charged with Everard's kidnapping and murder on 12 March, following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.<ref name="CPS 2021">{{cite web |date=12 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Murder and kidnap charges authorised |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/sarah-everard-murder-and-kidnap-charges-authorised |website=Crown Prosecution Service |language=en-GB |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref> He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 13 March and was remanded in custody before appearing at the Old Bailey via video link from Belmarsh Prison on 16 March.<ref name="BBC 56404030"/><ref name="BBC 56385657"/>
=== Guilty plea === On 8 June 2021, Couzens pleaded guilty to kidnap and rape, and admitted responsibility for Everard's death.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0608">{{cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |date=8 June 2021 |title=PC Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of Sarah Everard|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/08/pc-wayne-couzens-pleads-guilty-to-kidnap-and-of-sarah-everard |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Reuters 2021">{{cite web |title=UK police officer pleads guilty to woman's rape and kidnap{{snd}}BBC |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-police-officer-pleads-guilty-womans-rape-kidnap-bbc-2021-06-08/ |website=Reuters |location=London |date=8 June 2021 |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> Pending medical reports into his mental health at the time of Everard's death, Couzens did not enter a plea on the charge of murder.<ref name="Evans Davies 2021">{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Martin |last2=Davies |first2=Gareth |date=8 June 2021 |title=Sarah Everard death: Pc Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to kidnap and rape |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/08/sarah-everard-death-serving-met-pc-wayne-couzens-pleads-guilty/ |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |access-date=9 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 57399170">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Wayne Couzens admits rape and kidnap |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57399170 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=8 June 2021 |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref>
At a hearing on 9 July, Couzens pleaded guilty to murder. On video link from Belmarsh Prison, he kept his head down and was shaking slightly.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0709"/> After the plea hearing, it was reported that Kent Police had received a report in 2015 of a man in a car in Dover, naked from the waist down. It was believed there may have been enough information recorded in the Kent police system to have identified the man as Couzens, who was a serving police officer at the time.<ref name="Dodd Topping 2021">{{cite web |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Topping |first2=Alexandra |name-list-style=and |date=9 July 2021 |title=Police could have identified Sarah Everard killer as sex offender in 2015 |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/sarah-everard-police-under-pressure-to-overhaul-internal-investigations |access-date=21 November 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref> Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at the time, said she felt "sickened, angered and devastated" by Couzens's crimes, adding: "They are dreadful and everyone in policing feels betrayed. Sarah was a fantastic, talented young woman with her whole life ahead of her and that has been snatched away."<ref name="guilty">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to murder |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57774597 |work=BBC News |date=9 July 2021 |access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref>
=== Sentencing and imprisonment === The sentencing hearing before Lord Justice Fulford, began at the Old Bailey on 29 September 2021 following medical and psychiatric reports.<ref name="guilty"/> Couzens's barrister, Jim Sturman QC, asked Fulford to consider imposing a life sentence with a determinate tariff which would allow Couzens to become eligible for release on licence in his 80s.<ref name="Yahoo News 003347897">{{cite news |title='Warped' cop who killed Sarah Everard, 33, wanted less jail time |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/warped-cop-who-killed-sarah-everard-wanted-less-jail-time-003347897.html |access-date=2 October 2021 |work=Yahoo! News |date=2 October 2021 |language=en-AU}}</ref> On 30 September, Couzens was sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of a whole life order,<ref name="BBC 58733714"/> with Fulford justifying the severity of the punishment by saying that Couzens's use of his position as a police officer to detain Everard was the "vital factor which in my view makes the seriousness of this case exceptionally high".<ref name="Sentencing Remarks"/>{{rp|6}}
In October 2021, it was reported that Couzens was applying for leave to appeal against his sentence.<ref name="Dodd 20211027">{{cite news |title=Wayne Couzens lodges appeal against whole-life sentence |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/27/wayne-couzens-lodges-appeal-against-whole-life-sentence-sarah-everard |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=27 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 59062950">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens applies to appeal against whole-life sentence |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59062950 |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=BBC News |date=27 October 2021}}</ref> In July 2022, his appeal against his whole-life sentence was rejected by the Court of Appeal.<ref>{{cite web |last=Casciani |first=Dominic |date=29 July 2022 |title=Sarah Everard killer: Wayne Couzens loses bid to reduce whole-life term |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62345010 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=29 July 2022}}</ref>
As of December 2021, Couzens was imprisoned at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham.<ref name="Havery 2021">{{cite web |last=Havery |first=Gavin |date=15 December 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens moved to HMP Frankland |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19787322.wayne-couzens-moved-hmp-frankland-durham/ |website=Northern Echo |language=en-GB |access-date=16 December 2021}}</ref> In March 2022, Couzens was further charged with four counts of indecent exposure related to alleged incidents in January and February 2021.<ref name="BBC 60792293">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Killer Wayne Couzens charged with four counts of indecent exposure |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-60792293 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=18 March 2022 |access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="BBC 61082238">{{cite news |title=Wayne Couzens requests jury trial for indecent exposure charges |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61082238 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=13 April 2022 |access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> In February 2023, Couzens pleaded guilty to three incidents of indecent exposure that took place in Kent in 2020 and 2021.<ref name="BBC 61561703">{{cite news |title=Wayne Couzens denies four counts of indecent exposure |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61561703 |work=BBC News |date=24 May 2022 |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="BBC 64622477">{{cite news |title=Wayne Couzens admits indecent exposure offences |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64622477 |access-date=13 February 2023 |work=BBC News |date=13 February 2023}}</ref> A further three counts were ordered to lie on file.<ref name="BBC 64622477"/>
In November 2022, two of Couzens's colleagues—PC Jonathon Cobban and former PC Joel Borders—were jailed for multiple counts of sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network. Cobban and Borders were part of a WhatsApp group chat with Couzens and another officer where they sent racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and ableist messages.<!-- The other officer should not be named here as he was found not guilty on all charges, per WP:BLPCRIME --><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Gareth |date=2 November 2022 |title=Wayne Couzens' police colleagues who joked about raping female officer and tasering children jailed |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/02/wayne-couzens-met-police-colleagues-jailed-messages-whatsapp/ |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235 |access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>
In April 2023, it was reported that Couzens could be entitled to a police pension worth {{pound sterling|7000|2023}} a year. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who had successfully applied to have Couzens stripped of his Metropolitan Police pension, said he might still be entitled to pensions from his pre-Met service.<ref>{{cite web|first=Tom |last=Symonds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65152736 |title=Wayne Couzens should not get pension, London mayor says |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=2 April 2023 |access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref>
== Angiolini Inquiry == {{main|Angiolini Inquiry|}} Couzens's crimes led to a non-statutory inquiry headed by Lady Elish Angiolini into how he was permitted to work as a police officer for three separate forces despite his behaviour causing concern.<ref name="Hill 2022">{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Amelia |date=3 March 2022 |title=Sarah Everard's family pay tribute on first anniversary of her murder |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/03/sarah-everard-family-pay-tribute-first-anniversary-murder-wayne-couzens-met-police |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref> In February 2024, Angiolini's report said that Couzens had a history of alleged sexual offending,<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|v}} that he should never have been a police officer, and that multiple forces missed "red flags" during his vetting processes.<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|vi}} The report said his crimes were "the culmination of a trajectory of sexually motivated behaviour and offending",<ref name="BBC 68433319">{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Judith |last2=Mackintosh |first2=Thomas |title=Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens should never have been police officer – Angiolini Inquiry |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68433319 |access-date=29 February 2024 |work=BBC News |date=29 February 2024}}</ref> and made sixteen recommendations designed "to ensure that everything possible is being done to prevent those entrusted with the power of the office of constable from abusing that power."<ref name="Inquiry Part 1"/>{{rp|vii}}
Following the inquiry, Home Secretary James Cleverly announced that police officers charged with "certain offences"{{efn|Cleverly did not specify which offences}} would be automatically suspended from duty.<ref name="BBC 68461765">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: It will take years to repair trust - London mayor |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68461765 |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=BBC News |date=3 March 2024}}</ref> The government had already announced in 2023 that officers found guilty of the disciplinary charge of "gross misconduct" would also be subject to automatic suspension.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Zoe |title=Home Secretary Says Police Will Be Automatically Suspended For 'Certain Criminal Offences' |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/home-secretary-says-sarah-everard-murder-appalling |work=Politics Home |date=29 February 2024}}</ref>
== Responses == On 11 March 2021, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, released a statement saying that "every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence",<ref name="@pritipatel 2021">{{Cite tweet |first=Priti |last=Patel |user=pritipatel |date=11 March 2021 |title=A statement on the Sarah Everard investigation. |number=1369958730209632259 |website=Twitter |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> and Sadiq Khan stated that London streets are not safe for women or girls.<ref name="Dalton 2021">{{cite news |last=Dalton |first=Jane |date=12 March 2021 |title=London streets not safe for women or girls, admits Sadiq Khan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-everard-london-sadiq-khan-b1816089.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-everard-london-sadiq-khan-b1816089.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> Patel announced that new laws are being considered to protect women against sexual harassment in public, including the potential of making public harassment a specifically defined crime.<ref name="Dathan 2021">{{cite news |last=Dathan |first=Matt |date=13 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Victims will shape harassment policy, insists Priti Patel |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarah-everard-victims-will-shape-harassment-policy-insists-priti-patel-jzrrxxktd |work=The Times |language=en-GB |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref>
On 16 July, the Metropolitan Police held an ''in-camera'' disciplinary hearing at which Couzens was dismissed from the service with immediate effect.<ref name="BBC 57869528">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Met Police sacks Wayne Couzens |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57869528 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=16 July 2021 |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref> The Met later announced that it would stop deploying lone plain clothed officers.<ref name="Grierson 2021">{{cite news |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |date=1 October 2021 |title=Sarah Everard case: people stopped by lone officer could 'wave down a bus', says Met |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/01/police-must-win-back-public-confidence-after-sarah-everard-case-says-minister |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
===Role of police=== The case sparked debate surrounding the role of police in UK society and police violence.<ref name="Larnaud 2021">{{cite news |last=Larnaud |first=Natacha |title=London police under fire over 'unacceptable' handling of Sarah Everard vigil |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sarah-everard-vigil-london-police-clash-mourners/ |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=CBS News |date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dearden 2021 0701">{{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |date=2 July 2021 |title=Police breached fundamental rights at Sarah Everard vigil and Bristol protests, inquiry finds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-protest-laws-sarah-everard-bristol-b1875735.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-protest-laws-sarah-everard-bristol-b1875735.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph View">{{cite news |title=If the police did their job, the streets might be safer for women |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2021/07/09/police-did-job-streets-might-safer-women/ |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=9 July 2021}}</ref> The police were criticised both for their crackdown on vigils for Everard during the COVID-19 lockdown and for their failure to prevent the murder: not only did Kent Police not take any action after an alleged incident of indecent exposure in 2015,<ref name="Dodd Topping 2021"/> but Couzens had faced at least two other accusations of indecent exposure that had not been properly investigated and he had been involved in an incident in 2002 that was missed in his vetting.<ref name="Sinclair 2021 0710">{{cite news |last=Sinclair |first=Leah |date=10 July 2021 |title=Wayne Couzens nicknamed 'The Rapist' three years before he was hired by Met |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/wayne-couzens-nickname-met-police-sarah-everard-b945119.html |work=Evening Standard |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref> In early October 2021, it was reported that Couzens's colleagues had once been forced to call him back to the station from patrol after a prostitute had visited the station demanding money from him.<ref name="Hughes 2021">{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Tammy |date=3 October 2021 |title=Shocking details emerge about Wayne Couzens' preference for prostitutes |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/shocking-details-emerge-about-wayne-couzens-preference-for-prostitutes-b958529.html |work=Evening Standard |access-date=14 October 2021}}</ref> In mid-October, it was reported that police were investigating claims that Couzens had sexually assaulted a drag queen at a pub in Deal in 2018.<ref name="Kingsley 2021">{{cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Thomas |date=10 October 2021 |title=Met Police investigate Sarah Everard killer over 'sex assault on drag queen' |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/met-police-investigate-sarah-everard-115746802.html |work=Yahoo! News |language=en-AU |access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref> Radio presenter Emma B also came forward to say that she had attempted to report Couzens in 2008, after he exposed himself to her in an alley in Greenwich, but that the police had laughed at her.<ref name="BBC 58883628">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Emma B says Wayne Couzens exposed himself to her |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58883628 |work=BBC News |date=12 October 2021 |access-date=14 October 2021}}</ref>
Police culture in the UK also came under criticism. An officer who had been a part of the search for Everard was suspended from duties after sharing an inappropriate graphic on social media, five officers were placed under investigation for sharing grossly offensive material with Couzens before he committed the murder, and several officers were criticised for giving character references for Couzens during his sentencing hearings.<ref name="Sky News 12247124">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Met Police officer removed from duties after 'inappropriate graphic' shared during search operation |url=https://news.sky.com/story/met-police-officer-removed-from-duties-after-inappropriate-graphic-shared-during-sarah-everard-search-12247124 |work=Sky News |date=16 March 2021 |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hamilton 2021 1001">{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Fiona |title=Sarah Everard murder: Killer and police shared abusive messages |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarah-everard-murder-killer-and-police-shared-abusive-messages-5bpkj5wsk |access-date=1 October 2021 |work=The Times |date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Butterworth 2021">{{cite news |last=Butterworth |first=Benjamin |date=30 September 2021|title=Sarah Everard: Met Police officers spoke in support of Wayne Couzens, judge reveals |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/sarah-everard-met-police-officers-support-wayne-couzens-judge-reveals-1226708 |work=i |language=en-GB |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> Several female officers told the press that they did not feel as if they could report concerning behavior by male colleagues.<ref name="BBC 58754182">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Female officers 'fear reporting male colleagues' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58754182 |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2021 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into whether two officers had responded appropriately to reports from 28 February that Couzens had indecently exposed himself at a branch of McDonald's in Swanley, Kent; he had been questioned about these allegations days before he was accused of Everard's murder.<ref name="Peltier 2021"/><ref name="Sky News 12422641">{{cite news |title=Wayne Couzens may have committed more crimes, including one just days before he killed Sarah Everard |url=https://news.sky.com/story/wayne-couzens-may-have-committed-more-crimes-including-one-just-days-before-he-killed-sarah-everard-12422641 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |date=1 October 2021 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Dodd Rawlinson 2021">{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Rawlinson |first2=Kevin |name-list-style=and |date=11 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard suspect: Met faces inquiry over indecent exposure claim |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/11/sarah-everard-suspect-met-accused-failures-alleged-indecent-exposure |access-date=14 March 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The IOPC also reported that it was investigating whether Kent police had properly investigated allegations of indecent exposure against Couzens made in 2015, when he was employed as an armed officer by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.<ref name="GdnDodd9721">{{cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |title=Sarah Everard killer was accused of indecent exposure in 2015|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-accused-indecent-exposure-2015 |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=9 July 2021}}</ref> On 9 July, the IOPC announced that it had served 12 misconduct notices on officers in regards to the investigation.<ref name="Police Conduct">{{cite web |title=Update on investigations linked to the death of Sarah Everard |url=https://policeconduct.gov.uk/news/update-investigations-linked-death-sarah-everard |publisher=Independent Office for Police Conduct |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929142026/https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/update-investigations-linked-death-sarah-everard |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On 30 September 2021, after Couzens's sentencing, the Met stated that people should consider "shouting out to a passerby, running into a house, knocking on a door, waving a bus down or, if you are in the position to do so, calling 999" if they felt uncomfortable when being stopped by a single police officer.<ref name="O'Brien 2021">{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=James |date=30 September 2021 |title=Met Police: Run away and call 999 if you feel in danger when stopped by lone 'officer' |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/james-obrien/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-undercover-police-warrant/ |work=LBC |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> The Met received criticism for the statement, with commentators arguing that this would not have prevented Everard's murder (as Couzens was a police officer with the power to make arrests), and could also leave people facing charges of resisting arrest.<ref name="Grierson 2021"/><ref name="Sommerlad 2021">{{cite news |last=Sommerlad |first=Joe |date=1 October 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: What is the law on resisting arrest in UK? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-resisting-arrest-b1930547.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-resisting-arrest-b1930547.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 58749499">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: I would have got into Couzens' car, says MP Jess Phillips |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58749499 |access-date=1 October 2021 |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2021}}</ref> North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott faced calls to resign and was criticised for victim blaming after suggesting similarly, stating that women needed to learn more about the law and needed to be "streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can't be arrested."<ref name="BBC 58762029">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Police boss Philip Allott comments spark anger |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-58762029 |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2021 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="Merrick 2021">{{cite news |last=Merrick |first=Jane |date=1 October 2021 |title=Police boss sparks fury for saying Sarah Everard should 'never have submitted' to arrest by Wayne Couzens |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/police-boss-sparks-fury-for-saying-sarah-everard-should-never-have-submitted-to-being-arrested-by-couzens-1228008 |work=i |language=en-GB |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> Following a unanimous vote of no confidence on 14 October, Allott initially refused to resign, stating that he wished to "rebuild trust and confidence in [his] work as commissioner".<ref name="Cooper 2021">{{cite news |last=Cooper |first=Joe |date=14 October 2021 |title=Police commissioner loses vote of no confidence{{snd}}but won't resign |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/19647498.police-boss-philip-allott-loses-vote-no-confidence---wont-resign/ |work=York Press |language=en-GB |access-date=14 October 2021}}</ref> That afternoon, he announced his resignation and apologised for his remarks.<ref name="BBC 58915325">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Commissioner Philip Allott resigns |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-58915325 |work=BBC News |date=14 October 2021 |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref>
The British government also came under criticism for its response to the murder, notably for proposing extra powers and funding to the police, which critics took issue with as Couzens was a police officer. The government had announced it would spend an additional £25 million on street lighting and CCTV cameras as well as launch a pilot scheme to send undercover police into bars and clubs,<ref name="BBC 56410943">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: New safety measures after killing |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56410943 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=16 March 2021 |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> and was advancing the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill before Parliament, which would give police broad authority to place restrictions on protests and public assembly.<ref name="Taub 2021 0921">{{cite news |last=Taub |first=Amanda |date=21 March 2021 |title=After Sarah Everard's Killing, Women's Groups Want Change, Not More Policing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/world/europe/sarah-everard-police-uk.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Day 2021">{{cite news |last=Day |first=Aviah |title=Violence against women won't be solved by increasing police powers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/24/violence-against-women-police-powers-sabina-nessa--sarah-everard |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=24 September 2021}}</ref> Cressida Dick faced calls to resign.<ref name="Dodd Mohdin Allegretti 2021">{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Mohdin |first2=Aamna |last3=Allegretti |first3=Aubrey |date=15 March 2021 |title=Cressida Dick refuses to quit over vigil policing and dismisses 'armchair critics' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-rebukes-met-chief-cressida-dick-policing-sarah-everard-vigil |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Tolhurst 2021">{{cite news |last=Tolhurst |first=Alain |title=47% Say Cressida Dick Should Not Resign Over Police Handling Of Sarah Everard Vigil |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/yougov-poll-says-cressida-dick-should-not-resign-over-police-handling-of-sarah-everard-vigil |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=Politics Home |date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Syal Dodd 2021">{{cite news |last1=Syal |first1=Rajeev |last2=Dodd |first2=Vikram |date=1 October 2021 |title=Cressida Dick must be held accountable over Couzens case, says ex-Met chief |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/01/cressida-dick-must-be-held-accountable-over-couzens-case-says-ex-met-chief |work=The Guardian |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
After Couzens's sentencing, direct action group Sisters Uncut announced that they would be launching "Copwatch" groups across the UK to train people to intervene in stop and searches and other potentially dangerous police arrests.<ref name="Sisters Uncut 2021">{{cite news |author=Sisters Uncut |date=30 September 2021 |title=Sisters Uncut: 'Why we're launching national intervention training after Sarah Everard's kidnap by cop' |url=https://gal-dem.com/wayne-couzens-arrested-sarah-intervention/ |work=Gal-Dem |access-date=1 October 2021 |archive-date=30 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930191109/https://gal-dem.com/wayne-couzens-arrested-sarah-intervention/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''The Guardian'' stated in an editorial that "there is no sign that the Met understands the profound crisis of faith that it faces", pointing to a tribunal case related to the UK undercover policing relationships scandal that was resolved in the same week as Couzens's sentencing.<ref name="Guardian 2021 0930">{{cite news |title=The Guardian view on the police and women: face up to the problems |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/30/the-guardian-view-on-the-police-and-women-face-up-to-the-problems |work=The Guardian |date=30 September 2021 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
On 4 October 2021, Dick announced that the Met would launch a review of professional standards and internal culture, writing, "I hope to announce a high-profile figure will be appointed to lead a review of our professional standards and internal culture. They will look at our training, leadership, processes, systems and standards of behaviour, and examine cases where officers have let the public down. This person will also work alongside me, challenging my senior team and our leadership on standards, corruption, sexual misconduct and how the Met responds when things go wrong."<ref name="Grierson 2021 1004">{{cite news |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |title=Sarah Everard murder: Met to launch review of standards and internal culture |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/04/sarah-everard-met-to-launch-review-of-standards-and-internal-culture |access-date=4 October 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=4 October 2021}}</ref> On 3 October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the government would not undertake an immediate public inquiry into the case;<ref name="Hamilton Zeffman 2021">{{cite news |last1=Hamilton |first1=Fiona |last2=Zeffman |first2=Henry |date=3 October 2017 |title=Boris Johnson rules out public inquiry into Sarah Everard case |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/boris-johnson-refuses-public-inquiry-for-sarah-everard-case-gc8g5qfgz |work=The Times |access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref> Patel later announced that an inquiry would investigate the "systematic failures" in allowing Couzens to continue working as a police officer following the incidents of reported indecent exposure.<ref name="BBC 58804984">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard murder: Inquiry into failures over Wayne Couzens' police career |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58804984 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=5 October 2021 |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> The police force announced Baroness Casey of Blackstock would lead an independent enquiry in which the Metropolitan Police's recruitment, training and vetting would be examined. A second enquiry would investigate cases where allegations of sexual misconduct or domestic abuse were made against police officers or members of staff, who still work in the force.<ref name="BBC 58833349">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Baroness Louise Casey to lead review into Met Police |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58833349 |access-date=10 October 2021 |work=BBC News |date=8 October 2021}}</ref>
A YouGov poll released in November 2021 found that 76% of women believed police culture had to change and 47% of women had decreased trust in the police following Everard's murder.<ref name="Ames 2021">{{cite web |last=Ames |first=Jonathan |date=18 November 2021 |title=Sarah Everard murder leaves women's trust in the police almost halved |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/sarah-everard-murder-leaves-womens-trust-in-the-police-almost-halved-kh6pwr5gc |work=The Times |access-date=18 November 2021}}</ref>
Simon Kempton, a police officer on secondment to the Police Federation, shared information about Couzens's defence with other police officers via social media messages. Kempton had received the information from a journalist who had witnessed Couzens's trial via video link, and passed it on to Kempton before it could legally be published. Kempton was found guilty of professional misconduct "concerning respect and courtesy" and given a final written warning valid for two years.<ref name="de La Mare 2022">{{cite news |last=de La Mare |first=Tess |date=25 February 2022 |title=Officer handed final warning for 'gossiping' about Wayne Couzens' defence |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/sarah-everard-dorset-police-police-federation-daily-mail-wales-b2023541.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/sarah-everard-dorset-police-police-federation-daily-mail-wales-b2023541.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref>
On 23 May 2023, Samantha Lee, a former Metropolitan Police officer who was assigned to investigate two counts of indecent exposure committed by Couzens in the days prior to Sarah Everard's murder, was found guilty of gross misconduct for failing to properly investigate the incidents following a disciplinary hearing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65671361 |title=Wayne Couzens: Ex-Met PC in flashing case guilty of gross misconduct |work=BBC News |date=23 May 2023 |access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref> Lee subsequently told BBC News she believed she had been made a "scapegoat" for wider issues within the Metropolitan Police Service.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Derbyshire |first1=Victoria |last2=Kleiderman |first2=Alex |name-list-style=amp |date=26 May 2023 |title=PC who investigated Wayne Couzens for indecent exposure gets hundreds of hate messages |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65722487 |access-date=27 May 2023 |website=BBC News}}</ref>
On 15 November 2024, Myles McHugh, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, was dismissed for gross misconduct after having viewed confidential files related to Everard's murder without good cause. A tribunal also found Hannah Rebbeck and Mark Harper guilty of gross misconduct for the same reason. Rebbeck had already left the force but would have been dismissed if she were still serving. Harper was given a final written warning.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-15 |title=Met Police officer sacked for accessing Sarah Everard files |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dm0y33yrmo |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
=== Women's safety === The case led to widespread debate about women's safety and violence against women in the UK.<ref name="Blackall 2021 0315">{{cite news |last=Blackall |first=Molly |title='I've been quiet too long': reflections on the death of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/15/ive-been-quiet-too-long-reflections-on-the-death-of-sarah-everard |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Bates 2021">{{cite news |last=Bates |first=Laura |date=14 July 2021 |title=After Sarah Everard: What the case revealed about violence against women |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2021/07/after-sarah-everard-what-case-revealed-about-violence-against-women |work=The New Statesman |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Bows 2021">{{cite news |last=Bows |first=Hannah |date=16 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: why women shouldn't have to risk trading their freedom for safety |url=https://theconversation.com/sarah-everard-why-women-shouldnt-have-to-risk-trading-their-freedom-for-safety-157029 |work=The Conversation |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="Sharma 2021">{{cite news |last=Sharma |first=Ruchira |date=11 March 2021 |title=Cressida Dick says abduction of women is 'rare'{{snd}}but the stats suggest this isn't the case |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/sarah-everard-cressida-dick-abduction-women-rare-statistics-explained-908932 |work=i |language=en-GB |access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> After the murder, the British government reopened its public consultation on its violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy, receiving an additional 160,000 responses in two weeks. However, some feminist campaigners argued that not enough changed in the wake of the murder. Andrea Simon of the End Violence Against Women Coalition stated that "the measures that could make a difference and the resourcing are not where they need to be."<ref name="Topping 2021">{{cite news |last=Topping |first=Alexandra |title='A crossroads': the impact of the Sarah Everard case on women's safety |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/a-crossroads-the-impact-of-the-sarah-everard-case-on-womens-safety |access-date=29 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=9 July 2021}}</ref> Reports of women killed by serving or former police officers in the UK since 2009 indicate that they are usually partners, unlike in this case.<ref name="Moloney 2021">{{cite news |last=Moloney |first=Charlie |title=At least 15 serving or former police have killed women in UK since 2009{{snd}}report |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/28/at-least-15-serving-or-former-police-have-killed-women-in-uk-since-2009-report |access-date=30 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=28 September 2021}}</ref> On 17 September 2021, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published a report commissioned by the government after the murder, finding "inconsistencies at every level in how the police respond to VAWG and victims" and that there needed to be a "radical refocus and shift in the priority given to VAWG offences".<ref name="Walker 2021">{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Jemima |date=17 September 2021 |title=Violence against women should be prioritised in the same way as terrorism, report finds after Sarah Everard murder |url=https://news.sky.com/story/violence-against-women-should-be-prioritised-in-the-same-way-as-terrorism-report-finds-after-sarah-everard-murder-12410113 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="JI 2021 0917">{{cite web |title=New cross-system approach needed to end epidemic of violence against women and girls |url=https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publication-html/police-response-to-violence-against-women-and-girls-final-inspection-report/ |website=Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services |access-date=30 September 2021}}</ref>
On 9 October 2021 it was reported that BT chief executive Philip Jansen had outlined plans for ''Walk Me Home'', a phone service designed to protect lone women as they walk home. The service would allow users to be tracked using GPS, and send out alerts to emergency contacts and the police if they did not arrive at their destination when expected. The service would be activated by dialing a number, with 888 proposed as the number users would need to call. The proposal was supported by Home Secretary Priti Patel.<ref name="BBC 58854578">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: BT 888 phone service floated to protect lone women |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58854578 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=9 October 2021 |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="ITV 2021 1009">{{cite news |title=How will new 888 phone service for women's safety work after it is backed by Priti Patel? |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-10-08/priti-patel-backs-emergency-phone-service-to-protect-women-as-they-walk-home |access-date=10 October 2021 |work=ITV News |date=9 October 2021}}</ref> As of June 2022, the service had yet to be implemented, nor had a timeframe for its implementation been released.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sleigh |first=Sophia |date=10 June 2022 |title=What Ever Happened To The 888 Phone Number To Protect Lone Women?|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/what-ever-happened-to-the-888-phone-number-to-protect-lone-women_uk_629f6a1ce4b0c184bdd5bc02 |work=Huffington Post |language=en-GB |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref> In April 2023, BT confirmed that the proposed service had been cancelled.<ref name="Sleigh 2023">{{cite news |last=Sleigh |first=Sophie |title=Exclusive: Women's Emergency 888 Phone Number Is Binned By BT |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/888-womens-emergency-phoneline-priti-patel-sarah-everard-binned-bt_uk_642d2ffae4b02a8d5191a928 |access-date=30 June 2023 |work=HuffPost UK |date=5 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
Jennifer Grant, criminologist at the University of Portsmouth, stated that studies suggest that up to 10% of men who commit indecent exposure later commit physical sexual offences, and that if indecent exposure was taken seriously there would have been an opportunity for intervention with Couzens prior to Everard's murder. Fiona Vera-Gray, deputy director of the child and woman abuse studies unit at London Metropolitan University, said that because of the underreporting of indecent exposure, criminal justice statistics do not accurately demonstrate its prevalence and most offenders are not convicted. Like Grant, Vera-Gray highlighted connections between non-contact and contact offending, saying that society and the criminal justice system "need[s] to do more to understand that the thinking process of the mind of somebody who would drive around and expose themselves is very similar to the thinking process of someone who then would later go on to abduct, kidnap, rape or murder somebody".<ref name="Sinmaz 2023">{{cite news |last=Sinmaz |first=Emine |title=Wayne Couzens' crimes should change way we see indecent exposure, experts say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/14/wayne-couzens-previous-offences-indecent-exposure |access-date=15 February 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=14 February 2023}}</ref>
==Vigils== thumb|Flowers were laid at a vigil for Everard in Sheffield.
Country-wide vigils to be held on Saturday, 13 March 2021 were organised by a newly formed campaign group,<ref name="Graham-Harrison 2021">{{cite news |last=Graham-Harrison |first=Emma |date=20 March 2021 |title=£525,000 raised in memory of Sarah Everard will go to grassroots charity groups |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/20/525000-raised-in-memory-of-sarah-everard-will-go-to-grassroots-charity-groups |work=The Observer |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref> Reclaim These Streets.<ref name="Hymas et al 2021">{{Cite news |last1=Hymas |first1=Charles |last2=Hardy |first2=Jack |last3=Swerling |first3=Gabriella |date=13 March 2021 |title=Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard cancelled after talks with police break down |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/13/campaigners-go-ahead-vigil-despite-court-refusing-back-legal/ |work=The Telegraph |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> The day before the vigils were due to take place, a message was sent to all police chiefs that made it clear that, because of the COVID risk, Patel wanted them to stop people gathering at vigils; she also promised she would personally urge people not to gather.<ref name="Dodd Grierson 2021 0319">{{cite web|last1=Dodd|first1=Vikram|last2=Grierson|first2=Jamie|date=19 March 2021|title=Priti Patel wanted police to stop people gathering at Sarah Everard vigil|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/19/priti-patel-wanted-police-stop-people-gathering-sarah-everard-vigil|access-date=19 March 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref> Talks between organisers and police broke down;<ref name="Hymas et al 2021"/><ref name="Blackall 2021 0313">{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/13/sarah-everard-vigil-in-south-london-cancelled-organisers-say|last=Blackall|first=Molly|title=Sarah Everard: Reclaim These Streets vigil in south London cancelled, organisers say|date=13 March 2021|website=The Guardian|access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> The police had advised the organisers that it would be considered an illegal gathering under COVID{{nbhyph}}19 pandemic restrictions and the court refused a request to intervene in the police decision.<ref name="BBC 56379248">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard vigil organisers lose court challenge |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56379248 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=12 March 2021}}</ref> Events planned for Edinburgh and Cardiff were officially cancelled in favour of online events.<ref name="BBC 56380121">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-56380121 |title=Sarah Everard vigil at Holyrood cancelled after Covid warnings |work=BBC News|date=12 March 2021 |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 56372894">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56372894 |title=Sarah Everard: Cardiff vigil moves online after High Court ruling |work=BBC News|date=12 March 2021 |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref> Cambridge also was scheduled to go online.<ref name="Haygarth 2021">{{cite news |last=Haygarth |first=Dan |date=13 March 2021 |title=Cambs 'Reclaim these Streets' vigil moves online as London event cancelled |url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/sarah-everard-cambridge-reclaim-streets-20129792 |work=Cambridgeshire Live |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref>
Vigils still took place in several cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool and Sheffield.<ref name="BBC 56400715">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard Liverpool vigil: Three Covid-breach fines issued |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-56400715 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=15 March 2021 |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC 56392512">{{cite news |title=In Pictures: Sarah Everard vigils held across country |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-56392512 |work=BBC News |date=14 March 2021 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> Small gatherings also took place at locations in London. One on Highbury Fields attracted about 50 participants.<ref name="CNJ Fraser 20210319">{{cite news |last=Fraser |first=Calum |date=19 March 2021 |title=Women will live in fear until we see change |url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/women-will-live-in-fear-until-we-see-change |work=Camden New Journal |language=en-GB |access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref> Another in Russell Square, although also officially cancelled,<ref name="CNJ 20210313">{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Harry |title=Fundraiser set up as '#ReclaimTheseStreets' vigil in Russell Square called off |url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/fundraiser-set-up-as-reclaimthesestreets-vigil-in-russell-square-called-off |access-date=14 April 2021 |work=Camden New Journal |date=13 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="CNJ 20210323">{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Harry |date=23 March 2021 |title=Violence against women: 'Solutions can start in the school classroom' |url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/violence-against-women-solutions-can-start-in-the-school-classroom |work=Camden New Journal }}</ref> saw a few people lighting candles. Camden councillor Angela Mason and others<ref name="CNJ 20210319">{{cite news |title=Culture of misogyny and violence |url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/culture-of-misogyny-and-violence |work=Camden New Journal |language=en-GB |date=19 March 2021 |access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref> criticised the police handling of this small vigil, which included asking attendees and a local journalist to leave to comply with COVID-19 mass-gathering regulations.<ref name="CNJ 20210318">{{cite news |last=Weatherby |first=Bronwen |date=18 March 2021 |title='Ridiculous' police break up small Sarah Everard vigil in Russell Square |url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/ridiculous-police-break-up-small-sarah-everard-vigil-in-russell-square |work=Camden New Journal |access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref>
=== Clapham Common vigil === A vigil for Everard took place on Clapham Common on 13 March 2021. Throughout the early part of the day, hundreds of people attended to pay their respects.<ref name="Zeffman et al 2021">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/outrage-as-police-clashes-tarnish-vigil-for-sarah-everard-fk7pd0wtx |title=Cressida Dick under pressure after police clashes tarnish vigil for Sarah Everard |last1=Zeffman |first1=Henry |last2=Kinchen |first2=Rosie |last3=Ibrahim |first3=Magda |last4=Hamilton |first4=Fiona |last5=Johnston |first5=Neil |date=14 March 2021 |work=The Times|access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attended, with Kensington Palace releasing a statement saying that the Duchess "remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before she was married".<ref name="Hallam 2021">{{cite web |last=Hallam |first=Katy |date=13 March 2021 |title=Kate Middleton turns up to banned vigil to 'pay respects' to Sarah Everard |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/uk-news/kate-middleton-turns-up-banned-20138575 |website=Birmingham Mail |language=en-GB |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> She was later reported to have sent a personal letter to Everard's family to express "her sadness and sympathy".<ref name="Sky 12257964">{{cite news |title=Kate writes 'deeply personal and heartfelt letter' to Sarah Everard's family |url=https://news.sky.com/story/kate-writes-deeply-personal-and-heartfelt-letter-to-sarah-everards-family-12257964 |work=Sky News |language=en-GB |date=27 March 2021 |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref>
The direct action group Sisters Uncut encouraged people to attend "with your sadness and your rage".<ref name="Elks 2021">{{cite news |last=Elks |first=Sonia |date=13 March 2021 |title=Women vow to defy ban on vigils for Sarah Everard in UK murder case |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-crime-murder-women-trfn-idUSKBN2B50HU |work=Reuters |access-date=14 April 2021}}</ref> By 18:00, a crowd of several hundred had congregated at the park's bandstand to hear speeches from Sisters Uncut.<ref name="Theil 2021">{{cite news |last=Theil |first=Michele |date=14 March 2021 |title='I was at the Clapham Common vigil and this is what I saw' |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/i-clapham-common-vigil-what-20149764 |work=MyLondon |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref> Four people were arrested for public-order offences and for breaching the Coronavirus Act 2020.<ref name="BBC 56394344">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: What went wrong at the Clapham vigil? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56394344 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=14 March 2021 |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Savage 2021">{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Michael |date=14 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Met defends policing of London vigil as 'necessary' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/13/sarah-everard-pressure-for-new-laws-to-curb-violence-against-women |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref>
The Metropolitan Police's decision to break up the crowd, and the arresting of attendees and the trampling of the flowers they had laid, prompted public anger.<ref name="Taub 2021 0315">{{cite news |last=Taub |first=Amanda |date=14 March 2021 |title=In Rage Over Sarah Everard Killing, 'Women's Bargain' Is Put on Notice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/world/europe/sarah-everard-women-protest.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Fox 2021">{{cite news |last=Fox |first=Kara |title=Fury as London police officers break up vigil to murdered Sarah Everard |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/14/uk/sarah-everard-vigil-police-response-gbr-intl/index.html |work=CNN |language=en-US |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, called the police response "deeply disturbing";<ref name="Dodd et al 2021">{{cite web |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Mohdin |first2=Aamna |last3=Allegretti |first3=Aubrey |name-list-style=and |date=15 March 2021 |title=Cressida Dick refuses to quit over vigil policing and dismisses 'armchair critics' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-rebukes-met-chief-cressida-dick-policing-sarah-everard-vigil |access-date=15 March 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref> Boris Johnson said he was "deeply concerned" by footage of the events.<ref name="BBC 56396960">{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard vigil: Boris Johnson 'deeply concerned' by footage |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56396960 |access-date=15 March 2021 |work=BBC News |date=15 March 2021}}</ref> Khan called the police actions and arrests "neither appropriate nor proportionate".<ref name="Campbell 2021">{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Lucy |date=13 March 2021 |title=Met police criticised for 'deeply disturbing' handling of Clapham Common vigil{{snd}}as it happened |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/mar/13/reclaim-these-streets-vigils-womens-safety-uk-latest-updates |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, repeated calls for Dick to resign.<ref name="BBC 56389824">{{Cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Police clash with women at Clapham vigil |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56389824 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=13 March 2021 |access-date=13 March 2021}}</ref> Dick declined and dismissed criticism of the police response.<ref name="Dodd et al 2021"/><ref name="BBC 56389824"/><ref name="Da Silva 2021">{{cite web |last=Da Silva |first=Chantal |author-link=Chantal Da Silva |date=14 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard vigil{{snd}}latest: Cressida Dick says she will not resign amid growing anger over police actions |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-everard-vigil-news-protest-police-b1816930.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-everard-vigil-news-protest-police-b1816930.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |website=The Independent |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said the action was necessary because "hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19", and the Metropolitan Police Federation said that 26 police officers were assaulted.<ref name="Savage 2021"/><ref name="BBC 56389824"/>
Khan and Patel directed Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which oversees the police, to conduct a review of the policing of the vigil and lessons learned.<ref name=HMICFRS>{{cite news |title=An inspection of the Metropolitan Police Service's policing of a vigil held in commemoration of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publication-html/inspection-metropolitan-police-services-policing-of-vigil-commemorating-sarah-everard-clapham-common/ |publisher=Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services |language=en-GB |date=30 March 2021}}</ref> The review, published on 30 March 2021, found that the police had "reacted appropriately and were not heavy handed" and were "justified" in their stance with respect to the COVID regulations, saying that the risks of transmission were "too great to ignore".<ref name="Dodd Grierson 2021 0330">{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |last2=Grierson |first2=Jamie |name-list-style=and |date=30 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard vigil report strongly defends police's use of force |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/30/police-handling-of-sarah-everard-vigil-appropriate-says-watchdog |access-date=1 April 2021 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref> The HMICFRS report also said "Condemnation of the Met's actions within mere hours of the vigil—including from people in positions of responsibility—was unwarranted, showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence." They also said that the police response was a "public relations disaster" with a "materially adverse effect on public confidence in policing"; the review added, "We acknowledge that a more conciliatory response might have served the force's interests better."<ref name=HMICFRS/><ref name="BBC 56574557">{{cite news |title=Police 'acted appropriately' at Sarah Everard vigil |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56574557 |access-date=30 March 2021 |work=BBC News|date=30 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hamilton 2021 0331">{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Fiona |date=31 March 2021 |title=Cressida Dick: Kate's Sarah Everard visit was legal but vigil was not |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/politicians-criticised-as-mets-policing-of-everard-vigil-cleared-6sbjmw7gk |work=The Times |language=en-GB |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="Indy_HMICFRS">{{cite news |last1=Osborne |first1=John |last2=Stone |first2=Jon |date=31 March 2021 |title=Police 'acted appropriately and were not heavy handed' at Sarah Everard vigil, review says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-police-vigil-review-b1824335.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-police-vigil-review-b1824335.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> HMICFRS also concluded that the Met had incorrectly interpreted coronavirus-related restrictions due to legal confusion, and that not all demonstrations during a Tier 4 lockdown are unlawful.<ref name=HMICFRS/><ref name="BBC 56574557"/> A whistleblower alleged that the reviewers had demonstrated a pro-police and anti-protestor bias while compiling the report, with the reviewing panel composed almost entirely of police officers.<ref name="Dodd 2021 0331">{{Cite news |last=Dodd |first=Vikram |date=31 March 2021 |title=Police watchdog accused of skewing report to back protests clampdown |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/31/police-watchdog-accused-of-skewing-report-to-back-protests-clampdown |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref>
On 14 March 2021, more than 1,000 people marched from New Scotland Yard to Parliament Square.<ref name="BBC 56389824"/><ref name="Mohdin Gayle 2021">{{cite news |last1=Mohdin |first1=Aamna |last2=Gayle |first2=Damien |date=14 March 2021 |title=Parliament Square crowd protests against policing of Sarah Everard vigil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/parliament-square-crowd-protest-policing-sarah-everard-vigil |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Sinclair 2021 0314">{{Cite news |last=Sinclair |first=Leah |date=14 March 2021 |title=Sarah Everard: Protesters to march outside Scotland Yard after police storm memorial |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sarah-everard-protesters-march-scotland-yard-police-memorial-b924018.html |work=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref> The police response was described as "hands-off" and "markedly different" to that on 13 March.<ref name="Mohdin Gayle 2021"/>
Four members of Reclaim These Streets took legal action against the Metropolitan Police, claiming that their human rights to freedom of speech and assembly had been breached in connection with their attempt to organise the vigil. The case was heard in January 2022, and a judgment delivered on 11 March 2022 said that the Met's decisions in the run-up to the event were "not in accordance with the law".<ref name="Grierson 2022 0311">{{cite web |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |title=Met police breached Sarah Everard vigil organisers' human rights, high court rules|date= 11 March 2022 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/11/met-police-breached-rights-of-organisers-of-sarah-everard-vigil-court-rules |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=13 March 2022}}</ref> In April 2022, the High Court refused the Met permission to appeal the judgment.<ref name="Selby 2022">{{cite news |last=Selby |first=Jenn |date=11 April 2022 |title=High court denies Met permission to challenge ruling on Sarah Everard vigil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/11/high-court-denies-met-permission-to-challenge-ruling-on-sarah-everard-vigil |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 June 2022}}</ref> The refusal was upheld by the Court of Appeal at a second application.<ref name="Guardian 20220631">{{cite news |author=PA Media |date=31 May 2022 |title=Met police blocked from fresh challenge to Sarah Everard vigil ruling |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/31/met-police-blocked-from-fresh-challenge-to-sarah-everard-vigil-ruling |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 June 2022}}</ref>
In June 2022, the Met announced that it would be prosecuting six people who had attended the vigil for breaking COVID-19 laws.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Tobi |date=1 June 2022 |title=Sarah Everard vigil: Met to prosecute six over alleged Covid rule breaches|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/01/sarah-everard-vigil-met-to-prosecute-six-for-allegedly-breaching-covid-rules |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=1 June 2022}}</ref> On 10 June, three of them were fined £220 each and each ordered to pay £134 in costs when tried in absentia in a behind-closed-doors trial. The hearings for the other three were due to take place later that month.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sarah Everard: Three attendees fined over unofficial vigil |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-61744017 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |date=10 June 2022 |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref> In August 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the prosecutions. One of those originally convicted announced that she would be pursuing a civil claim against the Met, as did Patsy Stevenson, who was handcuffed and held down by two male officers at the vigil.<ref>{{cite web |last=Townsend |first=Mark |date=13 August 2022 |title=Sarah Everard: Met forced to halt 'absurd' convictions over vigil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/13/sarah-everard-met-forced-to-halt-absurd-convictions-over-vigil |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref> On 14 September 2023, it was announced that the Metropolitan Police had apologised and paid damages to the women, which their solicitor described as "substantial".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Topping |first1=Alexandra |last2=Dodd |first2=Vikram |date=14 September 2023 |title=Met police pays damages to women arrested at Sarah Everard vigil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/14/met-police-pays-damages-to-women-arrested-at-sarah-everard-vigil |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Met response to settlement reached following Clapham Common vigil |url=https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-response-to-settlement-reached-following-clapham-common-vigil-472204 |website=Metropolitan Police |language=en-GB |access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref> In March 2024, the Metropolitan Police agreed to pay £10,000 in damages to Jennifer Edmunds, a woman arrested at the Clapham Common Vigil and detained overnight on the charge of breaching Covid restrictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68556998|title=Sarah Everard vigil: Met Police pays £10K damages to attendee |website=BBC News |date=14 March 2024|access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref>
== In popular culture == A documentary on Everard's killing and the aftermath of her death, ''Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice'', was aired on BBC One on 5 March 2024. Created with the consent of the Everard family, the documentary featured previously unreleased photos of Sarah Everard.<ref>{{cite web |last=King |first=Jordan |date=4 March 2024 |title=Unseen photos of Sarah Everard released by her family for BBC documentary |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sarah-everard-unseen-photos-wayne-couzens-metropolitan-police-bbc-documentary-b1142913.html |website=Evening Standard |language=en-GB |access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref> The documentary featured the lead investigating officer, DCI Katherine Goodwin, speaking publicly for the first time. There was also footage from police body camera of Couzens's arrest and of his interviews in police custody.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rhoden-Paul |first=Andre |date=4 March 2024 |title=Sarah Everard: BBC documentary recalls police learning killer was Met officer |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-68466660 |work=BBC News|language=en-GB |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rosseinsky |first=Katie |date=6 March 2024 |title=Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice review – This BBC documentary is necessarily frustrating viewing |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/sarah-everard-the-search-for-justice-review-bbc-documentary-b2507863.html |website=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Aroesti |first=Rachel |date=5 March 2024 |title=Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice review – this film will make you furious, but don't look away |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/mar/05/sarah-everard-the-search-for-justice-review-this-film-will-make-you-furious-but-dont-look-away |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=9 March 2024}}</ref>
''Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight'', a documentary on Wayne Couzens and the wider culture of misogyny and sexual violence within the Metropolitan Police, was broadcast by Channel 5 on 15 June 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chesson |first1=Max |date=7 June 2023 |title=Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight to air on Channel 5 next week |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/new-documentary-to-explore-police-toxic-culture-after-sara-288021/ |website=KentOnline |language=en-GB |access-date=6 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Goldbart |first1=Max |date=5 July 2023 |title=Wayne Couzens Doc Boarded By Keshet International |url=https://deadline.com/2023/07/wayne-couzens-channel-5-documentary-boarded-by-keshet-international-1235430025/ |website=Deadline |language=en-US |access-date=6 May 2026}}</ref> The documentary alleges that Couzens could have been tipped off by a fellow officer, factory resetting his phone 35 minutes before detectives questioned and arrested him at his home on 9 March 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Banner |first1=Megan |date=15 June 2023 |title=Sarah Everard killer Wayne Couzens 'tipped off' by police moments before arrest as Channel 5 viewers horrified |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/tv/sarah-everard-killer-wayne-couzens-27133828 |website=Yorkshire Live |language=en-GB |access-date=6 May 2026}}</ref>
On 31 March 2026, the BBC announced a two-part factual drama series about Everard's murder written by Jeff Pope. Pope said that the series would deal with how the poor vetting that allowed Couzens to serve as a police officer, despite his record of sexual offences, had created a "tragedy waiting to happen".<ref>{{cite press release |title=BBC announces factual drama about the events surrounding the murder of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2026/factual-drama-events-surrounding-murder-of-sarah-everard |website=BBC |language=en-GB |date=31 March 2026 |access-date=6 May 2026}}</ref> Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt promised that the series would treat the subject "with the utmost care" and that the production was in contact with Everard's family.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stolworthy |first1=Jacob |date=31 March 2026 |title=BBC making 'respectful' drama about murder of Sarah Everard |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-everard-bbc-wayne-couzens-b2949138.html |website=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=6 May 2026}}</ref> The BBC's decision to commission a man to write the story was criticised by a group of female screenwriters who signed an open letter to the BBC.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Newman |first1=Cathy |title=BBC hit by open letter from female screenwriters about Everard drama |url=https://news.sky.com/video/bbc-hit-by-open-letter-from-female-screenwriters-about-everard-drama-13548602 |access-date=28 May 2026 |publisher=Sky News |date=27 May 2026}}</ref>
== See also == *List of prisoners with whole life orders *List of solved missing person cases (2020s) *Murder of Susana Morales, an American case concerning a 16-year-old girl who was similarly kidnapped and murdered by a police officer
==Footnotes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}{{Murders in the United Kingdom in the 2020s}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Everard, Murder of Sarah}} Category:2020s in Kent Category:2020s missing person cases Category:2021 in London Category:21st century in the London Borough of Wandsworth Category:Clapham Category:Borough of Ashford Category:Violence against women in England Category:Kidnapping in the 2020s Category:Kidnappings in England Category:March 2021 crimes in Europe Category:March 2021 in the United Kingdom Category:Metropolitan Police operations Category:Missing person cases in London Category:2021 murders in the United Kingdom Category:Murders by law enforcement officers Category:Murder in Kent Category:Dover District Category:Deaths by person in England Category:Rape in the 2020s Category:Rape in England Category:Violence against women in London Category:Police misconduct in England Category:Female murder victims in the United Kingdom Category:Sexual abuse in law enforcement