UK UK - Sarah Everard, 33, London - Clapham Common area, 3 March 2021 *Arrests* #8

[SveJeMoguce]

As mentioned earlier - a lot of people lost loved parents and didn't go out and kill. The comment about erratic behaviour in the press was I believe from a source, which may not have been a reliable source. Supposition. IMO

It absolutely isn't an excuse but it could be an explanation. Something as traumatic as that could well have been the trigger. We may never know.

 

[CynicallyWandering]

Wow thank you this is very interesting to know.

What happens if the suspect just continues to say ‘no comment’ the whole time? This is what he could possibly be doing right?

Or let’s suppose he’s confessed - they still don’t have to charge him so they continue to question him?

As per the words of the police caution: "it may harm your defence if you fail to mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court."

In essence: there will be evidence required to make the charge, and if it goes to court and you decide to make an argument that you had previously failed to make at the time, then it doesn't make the job of the defence that easy.

In reality: you look a bit guilty if you suddenly have an alibi and mitigating circumstances that only appear at court.

 

[Spartacist]

I've just read that link, and it's all about the police continuing their investigations

It says nothing about continuing to question a charged person.

These are separate things, and as (I think) I said before, investigations can continue, but post-charge questioning of the suspect does not

It literally says "[there]...has now been a change in the law that enables the police to question a suspect after they have been charged"

 

[K9Enzo]

I'm not surprised by the MIL comments. This has to be shocking and devastating.
However, I suspect as this case goes forward, presumably against the arrested suspect, she will feel very fortunate her own daughter was not a victim. IMO

'He couldn't do anything like this': Mother-in-law of Sarah Everard murder suspect speaks out | Daily Mail Online

 

[Tothemoon22]

(two police were called to McDonald's, and there's an inquiry going on that suggests they knew WC was responsible from the off).

Just wondering where you've got this from please? It was my understanding that the incident was reported online and no-one had been out to the scene yet.

 

[cuecard]

Sarah wanted to go home. That was it. Horrendous.

Heartbroken for her family, friends, colleagues and everyone else who has been touched by her story. She deserved so much better than this and it is imperative we all try and do better to help prevent this from repeatedly happening. Educate and listen to each other.

But I unfortunately don't think that will be the last of the grim news to come from this case or WC, himself. I expect some of the details that will inevitably come out in due course will be horrifying.

 

[Stella123]

Why do WC's crimes appear to have escalated so very suddenly and seriously? Why, as an experienced police officer, does he appear to have made such a clumsy and half-baked effort to evade detection?

I'm not sure if WC knew he'd been reported for the McDonald's drive-thru flashing incident, but it seems probable given what we know (two police were called to McDonald's, and there's an inquiry going on that suggests they knew WC was responsible from the off). But either way, from that day on he would have known his number was up: it would only have been a matter of time before his police career was brought to an end in deeply shameful circumstances.

We know his life was already spiralling out of control (the long periods of unexplained personal leave, talk of 'erratic behaviour' etc). I agree that his build in recent photos looks very much that of a steroid user (right down to his round 'moon face'), with all the behavioural implications. This all starts to look like a very (VERY) dramatic runaway midlife crisis.

WC knew he was falling apart, and that he was about to be sacked and disgraced. Joining the police appears to have been the crowning and proudest achievement of his life. There is no way of making this sound hurtfully trite, but I think he just considered the situation and felt he had nothing to lose in fulfilling his very darkest fantasy. His own life was effectively over anyway. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

RIP Sarah.

Sorry to point out - but could you state comments as supposition or opinion if not linking to a source. So thread doesn't get closed. But yes it is a good question. There was another supposition earlier that maybe he knew he was going to be done for the flashing incident and having a personality disorder, decided to "get back" by doing something worse, if his life and career would have been over. JMO from earlier supposition,

 

[Parmalade]

You really could be right about this!!! The car being towed away had tinted windows at the back seats but on Google Earth it did not have tinted windows, but is was the same car - The only difference is the tinted windows in the back. On earlier threads people assumed he had them tinted because he had worked in a garage earlier in life and would be familiar how to do this. You cant see the registration on Google earth because it's blurred out, so its impossible to check those they match, but if you're correct this would undoubtedly confirm a high level of premeditation.

Not discounting this, but I have a friend who tinted the rear windows of his car when his kids came along (instead of sun visors, but also privacy). Can’t recall the year of the Google image of the car, but maybe he did the windows when his children were small?

 

[don74]

I think not having yet interviewed someone /followed up a flashing report after a gap of only 3 or 4 days isn’t unusual. They may well have got a car reg but not necessarily looked into it enough to realise it was a police officer. In my experience of reporting this level of crime the crime is allocated to an officer, who has other stuff they’re dealing with as well, and if they then have a few days off due to shift pattern, etc nothing happens until they’re back.

Although possibly they’d got as far as making contact and requesting WC attend for an interview? Which could have caused an escalation in behaviour? Just MOO.

Yes, LE sadly often understaffed and underfunded and expect this wasn't right at the top of the pile. It's pretty quick for LE to check the DVLA database to find the registered owner/keeper but even if the car was registered to WC might not have been immediately apparent to the investigating officer that he was a PO, if registered to EC then even less so... or if it was in fact a hire car (rumoured but never confirmed and noone seems sure) and registered to a hire co then it may be even further down the investigating officer's pile. It's not difficult to get further details from the hire co but it's not exactly easy, relevant parts of PACE to go through and probably higher level sign off, but it could take a while for the hire co to confirm the driver JMO

 

[Spartacist]

I've just read that link, and it's all about the police continuing their investigations

It says nothing about continuing to question a charged person.

These are separate things, and as (I think) I said before, investigations can continue, but post-charge questioning of the suspect does not

It literally says "[there]...has now been a change in the law that enables the police to question a suspect after they have been charged"

Alright I've found a much more definitive source on this. From Thomson Reuter Practical Law:

Can a suspect be interviewed after charge?
Once a suspect has been charged with the offence under investigation, he should not be questioned further in relation to the offence, unless such questions are absolutely necessary in order to:

• Prevent or minimise harm or loss to some other person or to the public.
• Clarify an ambiguity in a previous answer or statement.
• Provide the suspect with an opportunity to comment on information concerning the offence which has since come to light where it is in the interests of justice to do so.

(Paragraph 16.5, PACE Code C (Revised))
If a suspect is to be interviewed again he should be cautioned again. He should also be reminded that he has a right to seek legal advice.

 

[searancke]

A question also for legal people. If perpetrator is charged for this alleged crime - and Police then find other bodies/crimes - does that mean those will be overlooked? Or become new charges when a trial is already in progress?

Levi Bellfield was charged first with 2 murders and an assault and convicted, then charged some years later with Milly Dowler's murder and convicted separately.

<Edited to add> It will be decided if it is in"in the public interest" to prosecute. He is the only killer to receive 2 whole life terms. Technically the Milly Dowler case could have been held on file.

 

[Blackpool100]

DBM

 

[ramsgate]

Just wondering where you've got this from please? It was my understanding that the incident was reported online and no-one had been out to the scene yet.

"Two officers called to the alleged flashing are at the centre of the Independent Office for Police Conduct probe."

Sarah Everard 'murder suspect' 'reported for flashing in takeaway' days before her disappearance | Daily Mail Online

 

[Stella123]

DBM

 

[alxne]

Then you have the elephant in the room of one known self harm attempt and the mysterious ambulance at the property.

I've been reading these topics for the few days and one thing I often wondered was about this ambulance. JMO but I wonder whether that was called following an argument between his wife after he told her what he'd done and needed an alibi.

 

[RexLuther]

Not discounting this, but I have a friend who tinted the rear windows of his car when his kids came along (instead of sun visors, but also privacy). Can’t recall the year of the Google image of the car, but maybe he did the windows when his children were small?

Jun 2019 from memory for goog map pic.

 

[Jimmy Pats]

One dreads to imagine what was going on at the garage. A dismemberment site perhaps

 

[don74]

What does seem to have happened here though is that the bus CCTV has probably flagged up the same reg which when entered into the PNC will have flagged that that reg.was already under investigation. Obtaining registered owner/keeper details or in the case of a hire car who had it on hire is IMO going to be researched a lot damn quicker in the case of a suspected abduction/murder than in an IE

 

[Cherwell]

So this website seems to contradict what both you and @Commoner have said here:

You are right that the law did state that suspects that had been charged could no longer be questioned, but this has now been a change in the law that enables the police to question a suspect after they have been charged. This is to allow the police to continue their detailed investigations even after the suspect’s trial has begun. It is not unheard of for a trial to be stopped because the police have uncovered new evidence. The police continue to investigate, as it is always a possibility they are prosecuting an innocent person.​

You can believe that if you like. I see the question was dated 2008, so it doesn't fill me with confidence that their information os up to date.
Obviously the police will continue the investigation.

 

[tedtink]

Why do WC's crimes appear to have escalated so very suddenly and seriously?

Early days yet.
IMO too early to make a judgement or have a pop at pysch make up.
Any further info of behavioral issues, or if any other charges come to light, it maybe possible, but with so little info about him it's hard to infer much at this stage.
JMO