Dame Elish Angiolini has looked at whether potential risks posed by Wayne Couzens were missed during his policing career (Metropolitan Police/PA)
(PA Media)
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A long-awaited independent review into murder of Sarah Everard is due to be published today, examining whether red flags were missed in catching her killer Wayne Couzens.
The former armed Metropolitan Police officer abducted, raped and murdered the 33-year-old marketing executive in March 2021, before disposing of her body near Dover.
The 51-year-old used his warrant card to trick Miss Everard into believing he was arresting her for breaking lockdown rules, in a ploy for her to enter his vehicle.
He has been jailed for life without the possibility of parole, with it later emerging that concerns had been raised about Couzens’ behaviour while he was a police officer, including reports that he was nicknamed “the rapist”.
In the months before the killing, he had indecently exposed himself three times, including twice at a drive-through restaurant in Kent, and had been part of a Whatsapp group with other officers sharing racist and homophobic remarks.
The first-part of the Home Office-commissioned inquiry into his policing career by Dame Elish Angiolini is set to highlight problems in the police vetting system and criticise Kent Constabulary and the Met for multiple missed opportunities.
What is the Angiolini Inquiry?
The long-awaited Home Office commissioned inquiry is set to be published on Thursday, which will examine Couzens’ policing career and the missed opportunities to catch him.
It is aiming to establish what the Met Police may have known about his behaviour prior to the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.
After he pleaded guilty to her abduction, rape and murder, the police watchdog announced it was investigating alleged failures to investigate to previous incidents of indecent exposure in February 2021.
Kent Police also allegedly failed to investigate a similar flashing incident in 2015, while he was working for the force.
Dame Elish Angiolini is set to publish her findings on Thursday morning
(FIONA HANSON / PA)
Then-Metropolitan Police constable Samantha Lee was sacked and barred from being a police officer after it was found she had not properly investigated the incidents.
The Casey Review, commissioned by the Met in the wake of Miss Everard’s murder, finds that the force is institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynist, and that there may be more officers like Couzens and rapist David Carrick in its ranks.
Holly Evans29 February 2024 09:37
What happened to Sarah Everard? Timeline of 33-year-old’s disappearance
The former Scotland Yard officer indecently exposed himself three times before the murder, including twice at a drive-through fast food restaurant in Kent, but was not caught despite driving his own car at the time.
He went on to kidnap, rape and murder marketing executive Sarah Everard in March 2021.
Read the full article here
Holly Evans29 February 2024 09:28
Welcome to our live coverage
Welcome to our live coverage as Dame Elish Angiolini is set to publish her findings into the missed opportunities to catch Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens.
Follow here for all the latest updates.
Holly Evans29 February 2024 09:13