A UK police officer was indicted for the murder of Sarah Everard on Friday. This was days following the discovery of authorities of the woman's remains in a wooded area outside London. Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been arrested for Everard's murder. He will appear before the Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Suspect for Sarah Everard's Kidnapping and Murder Found
Everard, 33, went missing while walking home from a friend's house in south London's Clapham on March 3. Her body was discovered in the woodlands in Ashford on March 10, reported Mirror.
According to the Metropolitan Police, Couzens was not on duty when the victim disappeared. Rosemary Ainslie, Head of Special Crime at the CPS, stated, "Following a referral of evidence by the Metropolitan Police related to the death of Sarah Everard, the CPS has authorised the police to charge Wayne Couzens with murder and kidnapping," reported LAD Bible.
She added that the CPS's purpose is not to deliberate whether a person is guilty of a criminal offense but to make independent, fair, and objective evaluations regarding whether it is proper to present charges to a court. Ainslie also stated that criminal proceedings are ongoing, and nothing should be published that could jeopardize the defendant's right to a justified trial.
Couzens' charging came many hours following police officers' confirmation that the body discovered had been identified as Sarah Everard. Officials also disclosed that Couzens had again been hospitalized on Friday with a head injury. One day after being briefly admitted to the hospital for a similar injury sustained while "alone in his cell," reported Yahoo News.
The accused joined the force two years ago in September 2018. This was when he worked for a response team covering the Bromley area. Then, he moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February 2020.
The most recent developments came as detectives stated that they had been given more time to question a serving member of the Metropolitan Police's elite diplomatic protection unit in association with the case. Couzens was first taken into custody on Tuesday in Kent on the suspicions of his involvement in the kidnapping and was then indicted for murder the next day.
Couzens has also been taken into custody over a separate incident of indecent exposure. The police watchdog is now probing into whether policemen responded rightfully to a report connected to Couzens three days before Sarah Everard's disappearance.
The development on Friday came after her devastated parents had paid tribute to their daughter as a "shining example" who was "kind and strong." Both parents have appealed for anyone with information to contact the police.
The case underscored how women usually feel unsafe while walking alone. British lawmaker Jess Phillips read Thursday in Parliament the names of 118 women and girls murdered in Britain last year whose alleged or convicted killers were men. According to Home Secretary Priti Patel, she would do all she can to protect women and girls after the outcry that has followed the victim's disappearance.
