Cop Wayne Couzens handcuffed & ‘arrested’ Sarah Everard in ‘fake Covid patrol’ to kidnap her off street before murder
A MONSTER cop lured Sarah Everard into his car by handcuffing and arresting her on a fake Covid patrol before he raped and murdered her.
Wayne Couzens, 48, snatched the 33-year-old off the streets as she walked home from a friend's home in Clapham Common, South West London, on March 3.
Harrowing details of Sarah's murder were revealed for the first time today as the Met Police officer is sentenced for kidnap, rape and murder.
The Old Bailey heard how Couzens used his warrant card to lure Sarah into his car as she walked home by claiming he was on a Covid patrol.
In chilling footage, the young woman can be seen in the back of his car before she was horrifically murdered by the sick cop.
What we know so far:
- Killer cop Wayne Couzens is facing a whole life tariff for murdering Sarah Everard
- He used a police belt to strangle Sarah after kidnapping and raping her
- Couzens had lured her into his car by carrying out a fake arrest
- Sarah's family read powerful victim impact statements speaking of their torment
Just five minutes later, terrified Sarah was driven for 80 miles from London to Kent at the start of a “lengthy ordeal” that was to lead “inexorably to her rape and murder".
Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: "She must have realised her fate.”
Police believe she was dead by 2.31am - five hours after she was snatched from the street.
After raping and strangling her using his police belt, Couzens then burned her body in a plot of land he bought in 2019 that he described as "perfect for a day out".Couzens, who was known to wear a police belt with handcuffs while off-duty, put her charred remains in green rubble bags and dumped them in a pond in woodland.
He then treated himself to a hot chocolate with coconut milk and bakewell tart from Costa just hours after the murder.
🔵 Read our Wayne Couzens sentencing blog for the latest updates
The next morning, Couzens returned the rental car and chucked Sarah's phone into a river in Sandwich, Kent.
He also bought petrol which he used to burn Sarah's body before calling his vet to make an appointment for the family dog about "possible medication for separation anxiety".
Sickeningly, Couzens even took his family to the woodland where he dumped Sarah's body just four days after murdering her.
He even allowed his children "to play in relatively close proximity" to where her body was left in the pond.
Sarah's body had to be identified by dental records after being found a week later more than 50 miles away in Ashford, Kent.
Despite being badly burnt, she was still wearing a necklace and gold earring.
Couzens later admitted he had strangled her using his police belt.
Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: "Sarah Everard's disappearance on the evening of 3rd March 2021 led to one of the most widely publicised missing person investigations this country has seen.
"What had taken place became widely summarised on social media as #shewasonlywalkinghome.
"That is true. Sarah Everard was only walking home when she was taken off the street from her family, friends and colleagues by the defendant on the evening of 3rd March 2021.
"However, those five words do not fairly or completely begin to describe what happened to her and her body at the hands of the defendant in the hours and days that followed her kidnap.
"Whilst it is impossible to summarise what the defendant did to Sarah Everard in just five words, if it had to be done then it would be appropriate to do so as deception, kidnap, rape, strangulation, fire".
WEB OF LIES
Couzens spun a web of lies after he was arrested - meaning Sarah's heartbroken family and the police never found out the real reason why he snatched and strangled Sarah.
He was painted today as a sex mad fiend despite portraying the image of a married dad-of-two and even contacted escorts and used a Match.com dating profile.
Bizarrely, Couzens claimed he had "no choice" but to kidnap Sarah, who was a stranger to him, for a human trafficking gang.
He was in debt by about £29,000 with additional credit card debt at the time he murdered Sarah.
Couzens previously claimed he was unable to pay for a prostitute he met in a Holiday Inn in Folkestone so was ordered to find "another girl" otherwise his family would be harmed.
He was repeatedly asked if he knew where Sarah was as her "family and friends are worried about her".
But the sicko said: "If I could do something to get her back this minute, I would.
"I'll do it again tomorrow if it meant saving my family... these guys meant business."
KILLING KIT
The dad-of-two then suggested the trio had murdered Sarah - even though her body was discovered on land he owned.
In reality, Couzens had hatched a ghastly plot to travel to London and abduct a woman.
On February 28 he rented the car used to snatch Sarah using his name, address and two different mobile phones.
Minutes later, he bought a 600mm by 100mm roll of self-adhesive film from Amazon to use in the attack.
On the night he took Sarah, the cop was seen on CCTV buying hairbands he used in the horror.
As part of his grim killing kit, the monster also purchased carpet protector, tarpaulin, and a cargo net on March 7.
And Couzens was seen buying two large green rubble bags from B&Q on March 5 - the same day he called his work to say he was "suffering from stress" and was unable to work.
Sarah vanished after walking home from a friend's house in Clapham, South West London, on March 3.
The court was told she was "in good spirits" and spent around 14 minutes on the phone to her boyfriend.
Sarah was seen alone on CCTV at 9.15pm, again at 9.28pm and was later captured on the camera of a marked police car at 9.32pm.
Chilling footage taken at 9.38pm showed two figures standing by Couzens' rented white Vauxhall Crossland.
It is understood she was snatched by the fiend just seconds later.
FREE TO KILL
Gun cop Couzens, who joined the Met Police in 2018, was charged with kidnap and murder more than a week after Sarah first vanished when police swooped on his home in Deal, Kent.
The cop, who worked on the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command unit, had finished a shift earlier on the morning of March 3 and was not on duty at the time of Sarah's disappearance.
Despite wiping his phone, data on the device linked Couzens to the abduction and eventually the area where Sarah was found.
While in custody, former mechanic Couzens was twice taken to hospital with head injuries.
Questions are now mounting over why Couzens was even still on the force following a wave of indecent exposure claims made against him.
Shockingly, Couzens was not given enhanced vetting when he joined the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit in February 2020.
This was despite colleagues in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, where he worked before the Metropolitan Police, nicknaming him The Rapist.
Twelve police officers are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct for gross misconduct over matters relating to the case.
The watchdog is probing whether the Met failed to investigate two allegations of indecent exposure relating to Couzens just four days before he took Sarah.
A separate investigation is also ongoing into claims Kent Police failed to follow up on an allegation of indecent exposure in Dover in 2015.
The Met issued a statement today ahead of the hearing, saying they are "sickened, angered and devastated" by Couzens' actions.
How murder of Sarah Everard sparked 'tidal wave' of grief and fears about women's safety
SARAH'S tragic death caused global outrage and sparked a 'tidal wave' of grief.
The haunting words 'she was just walking home' screamed from social media platforms as women revealed their own horror stories.
Many told how they had been harassed on the street and public transport - with one even flashed at a vigil for Sarah.
The outpouring prompted the Home Office to reopen a public consultation on tackling violence against women and girls, which then received more than 160,000 responses.
Vigils were held across the country as outraged Brits paid tribute to Sarah.
Campaign group Reclaim These Streets was formed in the wake of Sarah's death.
Jamie Klingler, one of the founders, said: "It feels like a tidal wave of half of the population saying: 'This is your problem, you need to fix it and you need to fix it now - we're not taking it any more'."
Some of the vigils were mired by violence as heavy-handed cops arrested protesters.
A planned event due to be held in London on Clapham Common had been cancelled due to the pandemic but thousands still attended to pay their respects.
Kate Middelton was among those who came to look at a shrine made near where Sarah was last seen.
Sarah's death sparked vigils across the country and demands for action to tackle violence against women.
Thousands of women shared stories on social media about how they had been harassed while on the street and public transport.
Campaign group Reclaim These Streets was formed in the wake of Sarah's death with a vigil in Clapham Common attended by Kate Middleton.
The movement has continued in recent weeks following the killing of 28-year-old teacher Sabina Nessa in Kidbrooke, South East London.
Couzens will be sentenced tomorrow.
Anyone affected can visit End Violence Against Women, StreetSafe or the Suzy Lamplugh Trust
The family's heartbreaking statements in full
Sarah's mum Susan:
Sarah is gone and I am broken hearted. She was my precious little girl, our youngest child. The feeling of loss is so great it is visceral. And with the sorrow come waves of panic at not being able to see her again. I can never talk to her, never hold her again, and never more be a part of her life.
We have kept her dressing gown - it still smells of her and I hug that instead of her.
Sarah died in horrendous circumstances. I am tormented at the thought of what she endured. I play it out in my mind. I go through the terrible sequence of events. I wonder when she realized she was in mortal danger; I wonder what her murderer said to her. When he strangled her, for how long was she conscious, knowing she would die? It is torture to think of it.
Sarah was handcuffed, unable to defend herself and there was no one to rescue her. She spent her last hours on this earth with the very worst of humanity. She lost her life because Wayne Couzens wanted to satisfy his perverted desires. It is a ridiculous reason, it is nonsensical; how could he value a human life so cheaply? I cannot comprehend it. I am incandescent with rage at the thought of it.
He treated my daughter as if she was nothing and disposed of her as if she was rubbish. If Sarah had died because of an illness, she would have been cared for. We could have looked after her and been with her.
If she had died because of an accident, people would have tried to help - there would have been kindness. But there is no comfort to be had, there is no consoling thought in the way Sarah died. In her last hours she was faced with brutality and terror, alone with someone intent on doing her harm. The thought of it is unbearable. I am haunted by the horror of it.
When Sarah went missing we suffered days of agony, not knowing where she was or what had happened to her.
Then, when Sarah’s burnt remains were found, we spent two terrible days waiting for tests to show how she had died, fearing she had been set alight before she was dead - the thought was appalling.
Burning her body was the final insult, it meant we could never again see her sweet face and never say goodbye.
Our lives will never be the same. We should be a family of five, but now we are four. Her death leaves a yawning chasm in our lives that cannot be filled. I yearn for her. I remember all the lovely things about her: she was caring, she was funny. She was clever, but she was good at practical things too. She was a beautiful dancer. She was a wonderful daughter. She was always there to listen, to advise, or simply to share with the minutiae of the day. And she was also a strongly principled young woman who knew right from wrong and who lived by those values. She was a good person. She had purpose to her life.
My outlook on life has changed since Sarah died: I am more cautious; I worry more about our other children.
I crave the familiarity and security of home; the wider world has lost its appeal. It is too painful to contemplate a future without Sarah, so I just live in the here and now.
I think of Sarah all the time, but the mornings and evenings are particularly painful. In the morning I wake up to the awful reality that Sarah is gone. In the evenings, at the time she was abducted, I let out a silent scream: Don’t get in the car, Sarah. Don’t believe him. Run!
I am repulsed by the thought of Wayne Couzens and what he did to Sarah. I am outraged that he masqueraded as a policeman in order to get what he wanted. Sarah wanted to get married and have children, now all that has gone.
He took her life and stole her future and we will never have the joy of sharing that future with her. Each day dawns and I think, Sarah should be here, leading her life and embracing new experiences. She had so many years ahead of her.
I don’t know how anyone could be so cruel as to take my daughter’s life. What I do know is that Sarah will never be forgotten and is remembered with boundless love.
I cling on to memories of Sarah, I hold them tight to keep them safe. The other night, I dreamt that Sarah appeared at home. In my dream I held her and could feel her physically. Jeremy was there, we were comforting her, saying “it’s alright Sarah, it’s alright”. I would give anything to hold her once more; I hope I dream that dream again.
Sarah's dad Jeremy:
"A picture of my beautiful daughter is on the screen. Can I ask Mr Couzens to face me.
“The impact of what you have done will never end. The horrendous murder of my daughter, Sarah, is in my mind all the time and will be for the rest of my life.
“A father wants to look after his children and fix everything and you have deliberately and with premeditation stopped my ability to do that.
“Sarah was handcuffed and unable to defend herself. This preys on my mind all the time.
"There is no redemption for what you have done, for taking Sarah away from us.
"You burnt our daughter’s body - you further tortured us - so that we could not see her again. We did not know whether you had burnt her alive or dead. You stopped us seeing Sarah for one last time and stopped me from giving my daughter one last kiss goodbye.
“Her body fell apart when she was moved. Her brain and neck bones were removed for months by the pathologist and her body was difficult to preserve so we had to use the services of a specialist embalmer to enable a dignified burial.
“All my family want is Sarah back with us. No punishment that you receive will ever compare to the pain and torture that you have inflicted on us.
“You murdered our daughter and forever broke the hearts of her mother, father, brother, sister, family and her friends.
“Sarah had so much to look forward to and because of YOU this is now gone forever. She was saving to buy a house and looking forward to marriage and children. We were looking forward to having grandchildren. We loved being a part of Sarah’s world and expected her to have a full and happy life.
“The closest we can get to her now is to visit her grave every day.”
Sister Katie:
"Will you please look at me. This is only half of what I wanted to say.
“You treated Sarah as if she was nothing. Placed more emphasis on satisfying your sick disgusting perversions than on a life. Her life. You disposed of my sister's body like it was rubbish. Fly-tipped her like she meant nothing. She meant everything. We couldn't even see her, she was so badly burnt. Her brain was removed from her skull to check for trauma and cause of death - I still don't know if they put her brain back in her head or whether it is lying next to her body in her coffin.
“Shards of her kneecap were returned to us to be placed with her body - shards that you knocked when moving her burnt body from the fridge you had used to hide her and conceal the fire. We are still missing her hyoid bone from her throat, which is being checked to see the force you used to strangle her, to determine how long she may have survived. We know it was broken. Her burnt body still had her necklace and one earring in her ear - the other had fallen from her ear because it had burnt off.
“You hear from the police that it takes around 2 minutes to strangle someone. And around 8-10 seconds for them to lose consciousness. At first there is a sense of relief at hearing that your sister might only have been aware of what was happening for 8-10 seconds. But have you put your hands around your neck and tried pushing hard? 8-10 seconds now seems a long time.
“You used your warrant card to trick my sister into your car. She sat in a car handcuffed for hours. What could she have thought she had done wrong? What lies did you tell her? When did she realise that she wasn’t going to survive the night?
“I'm constantly replaying in my head - did you rape her, then kill her? Did you kill her while raping her? You get small nuggets of information and the thought process starts again. Your semen and blood were found in your car. So this suggests you raped her in the car. You find out you may have used a belt to strangle her. New horrendous images forming.
“You stopped to get a Lucozade and water at a petrol station. Was she still alive at this point? Bound in your car? I am horrified by your ability to flit between what you did and normal everyday actions. Your casual demeanour on cctv was shocking and disgusting to see.
“We had to go to the flat and pack up Sarah's whole life - washing left hanging up, half sewn outfits, deliveries waiting to be returned, packages waiting at the door ready to be opened. All signs of a life waiting to be lived - chores to be done, ready for her to return and continue when she got home. But she never got home because a predator - you - was on the loose. Prowling the streets for hours looking for his prey.
"You can't comprehend what you are being told when it happened because it is so horrific.
"Some sort of sick waking nightmare. You can't imagine anyone could do such a thing. You are waiting to hear anything from the police. Every bit you get is different. You hear her body has been found. Then you find out she has been burnt. So badly burnt you can't see her. Can't see her again to say goodbye.
"The first thought you have in your head after despair and shock is - was she dead before you burnt her? Imagine that even having to be a thought. You find out no soot was found in her lungs which suggests she was burnt after you murdered her. Imagine being relieved to hear your sister was dead before she was burnt.
“I replay it continuously round in my head. What you may have said to her, what she may have said back, when she realised she was in grave danger and was not going to survive.
"Hoping my sister was unconscious and drugged, but we know that was not the case - no drugs found in her body, no trauma to the head. Burst blood vessels in her brain from your strangulation. Which meant she was conscious when you were doing these unfathomable things to her. My only hope is that she was in a state of shock and that she wasn't aware of the disgusting things being done to her by a monster. When you forced yourself upon and raped her. When you put your hands around her neck and strangled her.
“It disgusts me that you were the last person to touch her perfect body and violate her in the way you did. The last person to see her alive and speak to her. How scared she must have been. The last moments of her life not with loved ones, but frightened and fighting for her life. I hate to think of her being so scared and alone and that in her last moments she had no one with her. No kindness. I hate that I wasn't there to save her. To stop you. I find it hard to believe she is not just living her own life and sick at the thought that her last moments on this earth alive were so horrific.
“How dare you take her from me? Take away her hopes and dreams. Her life. Children that will never be born. Generations that will never exist. Her future no longer exists. The future I was supposed to live with my sister no longer exists. You have ruined so many lives.
“Sarah is the very best person with so many people who love and cherish her. I want to speak to her and hug her and hear her laugh and go out for dinners and drinks and dancing.
"All those conversations we can never have. There were so many things I wanted to share with her - trips abroad, being each other's bridesmaid, meeting her babies and being an aunty, growing old together and seeing who got the most wrinkles. We weren't even halfway through our journey and you took it all away!
“I feel like I live in a make-believe world. As if nothing is real. I have to pretend because the thought of not having Sarah forever is too hard to bear. A lifetime now seems a very long time. I should never have to write a eulogy for or bury my little sister.
"There is no punishment that you could receive that will ever compare to the pain you have caused us. We can never get Sarah back. The last moments of Sarah's life play on my mind constantly. I am so disgusted and appalled. It terrifies me that you have such disregard for a person's life. You have taken from me the most precious person. And I can never get her back.”
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