- Inquiry demands police overhaul
- Couzens’ red flags ignored
- Everard’s family endorses recommendations
Police vetting “repeatedly disregarded” red flags, according to the investigation. Additionally, it uncovered evidence that Couzens had committed a “very serious sexual assault against a child” prior to beginning his career as a police officer.
Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer, according to an investigation into the rape and murder of Sarah Everard. To prevent “another Couzens operating in plain sight,” police recruitment must undergo a “radical overhaul.”
Lady Elish Angiolini will publish three additional independent reports, the first of which rendered a damning verdict on how three distinct police forces “could and ought to have” averted Couzens.
An inquiry, commissioned by the Home Office, was launched to ascertain how the absconding Metropolitan Police officer committed his abhorrent offence.
Today’s report scrutinised Couzens’ career and highlighted how significant warning signs about him were “repeatedly disregarded” by police investigations and scrutiny.
Overlooked warning indicators included a predilection for “extreme and violent pornography” and “a history of excessive spending and personal debt.”
Evidence has been presented to the inquiry indicating that Couzens allegedly committed a “very serious sexual assault against a child” prior to beginning his policing career.
Officer’s Descent into Atrocity
The firearms officer will never be released from prison for committing the heinous act of snatching Sarah Everard in Clapham, south London, using a warrant card issued by the police on 3 March 2021.
He transported the 33-year-old marketing executive to a secluded rural area near Dover in Kent. There, he subjected her to rape and strangulation using a police-issued belt before disposing of her remains in a refrigerator and pond.
Couzens was reportedly referred to as “the rapist” during his tenure as a police officer, which raised concerns that surfaced subsequent to the gruesome murder.
Three days prior to the murder, Couzens exposed himself indecently three times, including twice in the days preceding the crime at a drive-through fast-food restaurant in Kent.
Despite operating his personal vehicle and utilising his own credit card, he evaded apprehension.
“Investigation, recruitment, and vetting policy failures”
In her publication of the inquiry’s findings, chairwoman Lady Elish Angiolini remarked, “In policing, failures of vetting policy and practice, recruitment processes, and investigations are dishearteningly all too common.”
“Police officer Wayne Couzens ought never to have been appointed. Moreover, in the absence of a substantial restructuring, nothing can impede the existence of another Couzens operating covertly.”
Briefly thereafter in 2004, Couzens failed an interview for a position with Kent Police.
In 2006, he volunteered as a constable for the county’s special constabulary. However, in 2008, he was denied vetting clearance for a subsequent application to join the regular police force.
Despite that deficient vetting, he persisted in his volunteer duties as an officer.
The report further highlights a lost opportunity that occurred in 2011 when Couzens transferred to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC).
Following a review of his application by Thames Valley Police, Couzens was advised against undergoing verification due to his financial circumstances.
Although he had an Individual Voluntary Arrangement at the time, a method utilised by debtors to circumvent bankruptcy, the advice was disregarded.
Couzens, employed as an authorised firearms officer with the CNC at the time, was “reported missing” from his residence during an incident in 2013. However, the CNC was not duly notified and thus was deprived of the chance to reassess his suitability for the position of constable.
After transferring to the Met in 2018, Couzens once more encountered a “flawed” initial evaluation.
It neglected to consider entries associated with him on the Police National Database, where his vehicle was linked to a 2015 allegation of indecent exposure.
According to the report, Couzens was apprehended for the murder of Ms. Everard while saddled with significant unsecured debt. This circumstance “certainly compromised his fitness to function as an authorised firearms officer.”
Additionally, allegations are detailed regarding Couzens’ attempts to show colleagues explicit and violent pornography. Allegedly, he intimated with young women on a minimum of two occasions contentious sexual images.
However, the most conspicuous instances of neglected opportunities to impede Couzens’ criminal behaviour and bring an end to his police career were the inadequate investigations into accusations of indecent assault.
Prior to his detention, Couzens was the target of such accusations on four distinct occasions.
A member of the public called Kent Police in 2015 after witnessing a man operating a vehicle while exposing himself indecently.
Officers promptly identified Couzens as the registered owner and sole insured male driver of the vehicle.
The inaction of Kent Police in closing the investigation is deemed a “grave error”; they have since taken no further action.
In 2020, in Deal, the aforementioned force was dispatched in response to a report of alleged indecent exposure aimed at a solitary female cyclist down a narrow country lane.
Although Couzens was found guilty of the offence in 2023, the preliminary investigation into the case was abandoned.
Then, days prior to the alleged abduction of Sarah Everard, Couzens was accused of self-exposing at a Swanley drive-through McDonald’s.
However, the Metropolitan Police’s investigation failed to gather or evaluate evidence such as CCTV, which “deviated significantly from the standards that a victim of a crime ought to anticipate.”
The inquiry asserts that it possesses knowledge of five additional purported instances of sexual misconduct involving Couzens that evaded police reporting.
Lady Elish, a former solicitor general for Scotland, presents sixteen recommendations in her report with the aim of effecting the essential transformations.
They include a reevaluation of police recruitment and vetting procedures, enhancements to the police response to indecent exposure, and an immediate review of charges against serving police officers for indecent exposure.
“I strongly advise all police force leaders across the nation to read this report and initiate prompt action.” Sarah’s parents and other close relatives endure an eternal state of sorrow and anguish due to her untimely demise. “Her demise and the subsequent public discourse ought to inspire law enforcement officials to take decisive action to prevent a recurrence of this type of incident,” she asserted.
The family of Sarah Everard “vigorously endorses” the proposed measures, which aim to “enhance the security of young women and girls.”
Family’s Sorrow and Call for Change
They stated in a statement: “The investigation has proven beneficial to us, not only due to its noteworthy discoveries, but also because its execution instilled in us a sense that Sarah’s life was esteemed and her memory was respected.
There has been a proactive investigation into the circumstances surrounding her demise, prompting inquiries rather than simply acknowledging it with condolences and subsequently forgetting it.
Additionally, they stated, “Wayne Couzens ought never to have held the position of police officer.” Although occupying a position of authority, he was, in fact, a recidivist sexual offender. During the course of his career, critical indicators went unnoticed and chances to confront him were disregarded. “We believe Sarah perished due to his occupation as a police officer; she never would have entered the vehicle of a stranger.”
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“Nearly three years have passed since Sarah’s passing.” We have ceased anticipating her appearance and no longer await her phone call. We are aware that she will be absent from family gatherings. However, an unquenchable yearning to have her by our side endures, and her sorrow over Sarah permeates each facet of our existence.
In the second phase of the investigation, police recruitment and verification on a national level, police culture, and the protection of women in public spaces will be examined in greater detail.
The third section will examine the career and criminal activities of former Metropolitan Police Officer David Carrick, who was exposed as one of the most heinous sex offenders in British history last year and was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison.
