Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens back in court over flashing charges
Wayne Couzens – the former Metropolitan Police officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021 – appeared in court today over flashing charges.
Couzens is accused of exposing himself four times at a takeaway in Kent, in January and February last year, just months before he killed Everard as she walked home from a friend's house. He is also accused of flashing a cyclist in November 2020 and driving through Dover in Kent with no trousers or pants on in June 2015.
The 49-year-old – who is currently serving a whole-life sentence for Everard's murder – appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink from HMP Frankland. He was not represented by a barrister due to the ongoing Legal Aid strike, however his solicitor, Richard Egan, was present via videolink.
Of the charges against him, Couzens has entered not guilty pleas to the 2021 allegations, but has not entered pleas to the two new allegations from 2015 and 2020. A trial date has not yet been set, but the case has been adjourned until November.
Last year, Couzens applied to appeal the whole-life sentence he was handed, arguing that although his crimes are incredibly serious, they do not merit a whole-life imprisonment. At the time of sentencing, Lord Justice Fulford described Couzens' crimes as "grotesque", whilst the Everard family said that they were pleased with the severity of the sentence but that "nothing can make things better, nothing can bring Sarah back."
Couzens kidnapped Everard on 3 March 2021, the following day she was reported missing by her boyfriend. Her disappearance made headlines and after a week of extensive searching, the 33-year-old's body was found in woodland in Kent – she had been raped and her body burnt.
"We are sickened, angered and devastated by this man's crimes, which betray everything we stand for," the Met Police said in a statement of Couzens' crimes. "Our thoughts are with Sarah's family and her many friends. It is not possible for us to imagine what they are going through."
For help with any of the issues discussed in this article, visit: Rape Crisis England & Wales, Rape Crisis Scotland, or Rape Crisis Northern Ireland. RASASC provides emotional and practical support for survivors, families and friends.
You Might Also Like
