less than five minutes, he showed his warrant card and used knowledge of covid restrictions to handcuff sarah everard and put her in his hire car. witnesses saw this. the moment of the calculated kidnap, they believed wayne couzens was an officer doing hisjob. couzens drove to a remote rural area where he raped and murdered sarah everard. he is later seen on cctv calmly continuing with daily life, ordering a hot chocolate in a nearby coffee shop. questioned by police, he feigned innocence, knowing he put sarah s body inside a fridge and set it on fire. during the sentencing, wayne couzens sat with his head bowed. sarah everard s family asked him to look at them. herfather told him, the horrendous murder of my daughter is in my mind all the time and will be for the rest of my life.
his actions were described as warped, selfish and brutal. a man who, under the guise of his duty as a police officer, picked sarah everard up in the street as she walked home from a friend s house. in an exchange that lasted less than five minutes, he showed his warrant card and used knowledge of covid restriction policing to handcuff sarah everard and put her in his hire car. witnesses saw this. witnesses saw this, the moment of the calculated kidnap. they believed wayne couzens was an officer doing hisjob. couzens drove to a remote rural area where he raped and murdered sarah everard. he s later seen on cctv calmly continuing with daily life, ordering a hot chocolate in a nearby coffee shop. questioned by police, he feigned innocence, knowing he put sarah s body inside a fridge and set it on fire. during the sentencing, wayne couzens sat with his head bowed. sarah everard s family asked him to look at them as they gave their statments.
so knew the words to use. witnesses see sarah with her arms behind her back but they think it s an undercover police operation. it was kidnap. he used all the equipment and knowledge of being a police officer to do this. after the murder, couzens was callous and carried on life as if nothing had happened. after dumping sarah s body in woods in kent, he stops at costa coffee to get a hot chocolate. he calls the vet about his dog. yeah, i was wondering if i could book my dog in for the vet so i can have a discussion about her issues, please. he goes back to the woods for a family trip with his wife and children just days after he d left sarah s remains there. sarah s sister, katie, told couzens in court.
the court has heard that wayne couzens accepts he deserves harsh punishment. she was my precious little girl, i can never talk to her, never hold her again. the words in court of sarah everard s mother. as wayne couzens sat in the dock, sarah s father jeremy everard asked him. mr couzens, please will you look at me? before telling him. no punishment that you receive will ever compare to the pain and torture that you have inflicted on us. couzens, in handcuffs, when he was arrested at home, telling lie after lie. he d already kidnapped, raped, murdered and burned sarah. as sarah was walking from a friend s house, couzens was looking for a victim. this, the moment of deception. his car on the pavement, hazard lights on, he stops sarah. his arm outstretched, showing her his warrant card. using his handcuffs,
couzens then drove to a remote rural area, where he raped and murdered sarah everard. he s later seen on cctv calmly continuing with daily life, ordering a hot chocolate in a nearby coffee shop. questioned by police, he feigned innocence, knowing he put sarah s body inside a fridge and set it on fire. during the sentencing, wayne couzens sat with his head bowed. sarah everard s family asked him to look at them as they gave their statements. sarah everard s father told him. a family broken by an unimaginable loss, a police force facing questions about how it will recover. it is right that we constantly hold the police to account for what has happened.