Thread: London police officer charged with murder of Sarah Everard

London (CNN)A London Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, whose disappearance on a walk home has reignited a national debate in Britain on women's safety and sexual assault.

Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first hearing. He has been remanded in custody and will next appear in court at the Old Bailey in London on March 16, according to Met Police.

Everard disappeared on March 3 while walking in Clapham, south London, prompting an extensive police search in the area.

Her remains were eventually found more than 50 miles from where she was last seen. A post-mortem examination will now take place on Everard's remains.

Couzens, a police constable whose "primary role was uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises," was arrested in Kent on Tuesday. He was charged on Friday, according to a statement from Rosemary Ainslie, the CPS' head of special crime.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, a police watchdog agency, said in a statement on Thursday that it had started an independent investigation into police actions involving the suspect.

Everard's disappearance has prompted thousands of women to share their own experiences of intimidation or harassment while walking alone at night across the country -- and around the world.

Many also exchanged notes on the habitual precautions they take to try to stay safe when they walk alone -- like clutching keys between their knuckles, pretending to talk to someone on the phone, or not wearing headphones at night -- and voiced their anger and frustration that it feels like a necessary step.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married, a royal source said. The duchess made a private visit to the memorial for Everard in Clapham on Saturday, the source said. She wanted to pay her respects to Everard and her family.

In a statement on Friday, the Met said that in "the interests of clarity about these exceptional events," it was releasing further details of Couzens' employment with the force.

Couzens joined the Met in September 2018 and was posted to a response team covering the Bromley area in southeast London. He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February 2020, where his "primary role was on uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly a range of Embassies," the Met statement said.

Nick Ephgrave, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said on Friday that he understood that "women in London and the wider public, particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing, will be worried and may well be feeling frightened," and that Londoners could expect to see a rise in officers on the streets in the coming days.

"I know that the public feels hurt and angry about what has happened. And those are sentiments that I share personally, and I know my colleagues here at Scotland Yard and across the Met share as well," Ephgrave said.

'Reclaim the Streets'

A series of vigils had been planned Saturday across the country, but the "Reclaim These Streets" events were canceled after London Police said the Clapham vigil couldn't go ahead, citing coronavirus restrictions, the organizers said in a statement Saturday.

A large crowd of mourners gathered for hours Saturday evening anyway at a makeshift memorial in Clapham, where Everard was last seen.

The crowd observed a moment of silence. Some placed flowers and candles, and chanted, "We remember Sarah Everard" and "sisters united will never be defeated."

As police began urging the crowd to disperse due to Covid-19 restrictions, mourners could be heard chanting "shame on you" and "arrest your own."

Organizers told CNN that police and local officials have allowed another vigil to be held Saturday evening to commemorate Everard and other women who have been murdered by men. That was held in Brixton, where Everard lived, but most people stayed at the larger gathering in Clapham.

The "Reclaim These Streets" organizers said they will be raising £32,000 (approximately US $44,544) for women's causes, which would also cover £10,000 (around US $13,920) of possible fines for the 32 vigils that had been scheduled across the country.

On Saturday, the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they supported a vigil that has been planned in Manchester, saying in a statement that "women should never have to live in fear or change their behavior to keep themselves safe on our streets and GMP stands with this message and understands why events were planned in support of it."

"We understand there are a number of online events as well as a doorstep vigil that have been arranged for this evening and GMP absolutely supports these and encourages our communities to join them -- they allow people to stand together over this important matter in a Covid-safe way and in a way which complies with government regulations as they currently stand," it said.

Feeling unsafe in public places

In the UK, instances of abduction are relatively rare, but new polling indicates that sexual harassment and abuse are not.

Over 70% of women surveyed by UN Women UK said they had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. That figure rose to 97% among women aged 18 to 24, polling showed. The data, released Wednesday, was drawn from a YouGov survey of more than 1,000 women commissioned by UN Women UK in January 2021.

The organization's polling also suggested that women have little faith in public institutions to tackle the situation.

"Only 4% of women told us they reported the incidents of harassment to an official organization -- with 45% of women saying they didn't believe reporting would help change anything," UN Women UK said.

Women are not alone in feeling under threat on the streets; men are more likely to be the victims of violent crime involving strangers and acquaintances than are women, according to the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS).

But government data show that men are far more likely to be prosecuted for acts of violence against both women and men. Over the three-year period ending March 2020, the vast majority of suspects convicted of homicide were male -- 93% of the total, according to an ONS report on homicide.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/13/uk/sa...ntl/index.html

33 ?

As usual, bs getting right to the heart of the issues that matter.

It's already being discussed here snubby you stupid drunk.

Sarah Everard: 6pm curfew for men proposed in Parliament by Green Party Baroness

Originally Posted by bsnub

Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first hearing.

Currently being sentenced.

Originally Posted by Edmond

Currently being sentenced.

Apparently he had three uninvestigated reports of indecent exposure against him, which probably would have had him thrown off the force.

Instead of which he used his ID to "arrest" and handcuff this woman, making it easy to kidnap and murder her.

It's not just the Thai police that protect their own.

A DEPRAVED cop who raped and murdered Sarah Everard in a fake Covid arrest will die in prison after being given a rare whole life tariff.

<snip>

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 the allegation of indecent exposure in 2015.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16287866/sarah-everard-murder-wayne-couzens-jailed-life/

Ol' Big Boy got the big one.

And as a copper.

Will probably neck himself within 24 months.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

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

Somehow they will dodge it or get a minor slap. Not all exposure creeps become murder…their defence willl be how could they have known?

the useless uk police are too busy watching the backs of eco loons, hunting some bloke who used the word "coon" back in 1995 and pasting rainbow stickers on their patrol cars to be bothered investigating murder, rape and violent robberies.

Originally Posted by cyrille

There won’t be heavy penalties though, that much is true.

Trial by media may force otherwise.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

GMP are getting an asbolute battering at the moment:

And so they should, their history over the past 50 years is one of racism, corruption, cover ups and failure to both address change and hold anyone to account. I was listening to Radio 4 yesterday and a stat was quoted that over 2/3rds of officers investigated for sexual misconduct are still in post, many found guilty but not sacked. They could also do worse than stop officers having the ability to resign with their pensions in tact rather than face enquiry, and scrap the worse than useless Police Complaints Authority.

The whole thing stinks and yet the Govt has allowed the continued appointment of that Dick Bitch - farcical if it wasn't so serious.

Trial of whom? For what?

I didn’t comment on that case of the car accident in Aus because I didn’t really have sufficient understanding of the public’s relationship with their police force.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Trial of whom? For what?

I didn’t comment on that case of the car accident in Aus because I didn’t really have sufficient understanding of the public’s relationship with their police force.

You misunderstand. I don't mean you, or anyone else on TD.

I'm sure the GMP will experience trial by media, and as a result may well punish some of the 12 lenient officers more harshly then they would have

When you find corruption in places like Britain Austalia and other western countries where salaries are quite good you can better understand why the Thai police do what they do. In Qld we had state police commissioner Terry Lewis formerly (Sir but his knighthood was removed) who served 10 years for corruption. Years ago there was a joke circulating around the victorian police who had a reputation of shooting first at the time. The joke goes the NSW and Victorian police were doing a joint raid on the border. The Victorian policeman in charge says to the NSW police contingent, We wont shoot anyone as long as you dont steal anything. Corruption was rife in the NSW police force. Back in the 80's The Sydney police were even taking a cut from robberies that they turned a blind eye to and in some case coordinated with the crooks. NSW has a history of police corruption all the way back to the Rum Corps in the early 1800s. It is like a club where the good ones turn a blind eye to the bent ones for fear of being ostracised by their colleagues.
.

Originally Posted by Saint Willy

Somehow they will dodge it or get a minor slap. Not all exposure creeps become murder…their defence willl be how could they have known?

That isn't the point. Had he been convicted of a sex offence, he would have been thrown out of the force. Using his Police warrant card to identify himself was how he got her into the car. There *may* have been a different outcome to this case if it happened at all.

Originally Posted by Hugh Cow

When you find corruption in places like Britain Austalia and other western countries where salaries are quite good you can better understand why the Thai police do what they do. In Qld we had state police commissioner Terry Lewis formerly (Sir but his knighthood was removed) who served 10 years for corruption. Years ago there was a joke circulating around the victorian police who had a reputation of shooting first at the time. The joke goes the NSW and Victorian police were doing a joint raid on the border. The Victorian policeman in charge says to the NSW police contingent, We wont shoot anyone as long as you dont steal anything. Corruption was rife in the NSW police force. Back in the 80's The Sydney police were even taking a cut from robberies that they turned a blind eye to and in some case coordinated with the crooks. NSW has a history of police corruption all the way back to the Rum Corps in the early 1800s. It is like a club where the good ones turn a blind eye to the bent ones for fear of being ostracised by their colleagues.

Oh lord.

Space.

And this broke today.

French serial killer 'Le Grele' identified as retired police officer after 35-year hunt

Francois Verove, 59, is said to have confessed to a series of murders and rapes in a suicide note before DNA from his body linked him to several crime scenes.

A serial killer who carried out a spate of murders and rapes in and around Paris in the 1980s and 1990s has been revealed as a retired police officer, according to reports in France.

Francois Verove, 59, is said to have used his police identity card and handcuffs to abduct and restrain his victims.

The serial killer has been known as "Le Grele", meaning "the pockmarked man", as he remained undetected for 35 years.

Verove confessed to his crimes in a suicide note written before he took his own life on Wednesday, Le Parisien reported.

He was said to have been among 750 gendarmes, a French paramilitary police officer, who had been called in for questioning on 29 September after authorities suspected the killer had worked in the security services.

Verove had been due to provide a DNA sample but never showed up, according to reports.

Instead he disappeared from his family home before being found dead at a rented flat near Montpellier in the south of the country on Wednesday.

French media reported that he had left a note saying he had not been in a good state at the time of the crimes but had later "sorted himself out".

The state prosecutor confirmed that DNA taken from Verove after his death linked him to several crime scenes, according to reports.

The serial killer was thought to be responsible for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Cecile Block, who was snatched as she left her apartment building for school in May 1986. The girl was found dead in a basement of the building.

She had been raped, strangled and stabbed in the chest.

Her half naked body was found covered by an old carpet.

During the subsequent police investigation, residents of the building recalled seeing a man in the elevator with pockmarked skin.

Luc Richard, Cecile's older brother, was quoted in the Sud Ouest newspaper as saying: "He seemed very sure of himself. He spoke to me in a very bold, very polite way, too. He said something to me like, 'Have a very, very good day'."

Cecile's parents both died without knowing who was responsible for their daughter's death.

The serial killer was also responsible for the murders of Gilles Politi, 38, and his 21-year-old au pair Irmgard Mueller, both of whom were tortured.

The murder of a 19-year-old woman named Karine Leroy has also been attributed to Verove.

Genetic testing conducted a decade after Cecile's murder is said to have revealed her killer had gone on to commit a series of rapes.

In three separate attacks, on a 26-year-old German woman, a 14-year-old girl, and an 11-year-old girl, he had identified himself as a policeman.

Investigators at the time thought this was just a ploy he used to gain control of his victims, according to reports.

However, it was also this detail that appears to have eventually led them to Verove - whose crimes are thought to have taken place between 1986 and at least 1994.

Officers eventually uncovered evidence that "Le Grele" was a member of the security forces who had been driving a white car.

In one case of abduction and rape, he reportedly showed his police card to make a lone girl get into his unmarked car.

The killer is also said to have used elaborate police or military restraint techniques during attacks.
His last known crime reportedly happened near a gendarmerie training centre.

French serial killer 'Le Grele' identified as retired police officer after 35-year hunt | World News | Sky News