Found Deceased UK - Sarah Everard, 33, London - Clapham Common area, 3 March 2021 *Arrests* #13

[Alethea]

no they cannot technically “ refuse “ because they may be appalled at the alleged crime but the clerk would suggest they perhaps were not the right barrister for the job or sadly “ already busy “ I have known that to happen often. Also many cases I dealt with in the past the Barrister would be personally revolted by the defendant but it is their job. Justice has to be done and everyone has the right to representation however horrific the crime. Justice also needs to be “ seen “ to be done. I cannot imagine any top silk ( QC ) turning this case down frightful as that might sound.

Thank you so much, your explanations have been so helpful. It is very different in the US so I was very curious about the actual step by step process. Though how you explained it makes perfect sense to me. Over here it is much more focused on ability to pay sadly. If you are indigent you will get appointed a public defender from our very skilled but overworked public defender organizations. If you can pay privately for an attorney, you can ask for a referral or have your family call lawyers in your area. For big or notorious cases you will have private attorneys swooping down to try to land the case for the publicity. But unless you are a public defender you have no obligation to take any case.

 

[juniper6]

Do I remember correctly the alleged defendant used to work in that area?


Mr Couzens joined the force in September 2018 and was initially based in the Bromley area, the Met said.

In February last year he moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command where his primary role was uniformed patrols, mainly at a range of embassies in the capital.
Sarah Everard: Met PC Wayne Couzens charged with murder

Yes. You are correct. Biggin Hill is close to the Croydon/Bromley border and is almost definitely in the jurisdiction of the Bromley police that WC worked under.

 

[Barbieshell]

Not sure if this has been answered yet, but if WC has hired cars before then if it was from one of the bigger hire car companies then it should still be on the system.
I had to hire a car last summer from Arnold Clark and they were able to see records that I had hired from them 4 years ago, even though it was in a different area of the UK..

Thank you.

 

[Sherlockhames]

no they cannot technically “ refuse “ because they may be appalled at the alleged crime but the clerk would suggest they perhaps were not the right barrister for the job or sadly “ already busy “ I have known that to happen often. Also many cases I dealt with in the past the Barrister would be personally revolted by the defendant but it is their job. Justice has to be done and everyone has the right to representation however horrific the crime. Justice also needs to be “ seen “ to be done. I cannot imagine any top silk ( QC ) turning this case down frightful as that might sound.

(I wonder how prosecuting barristers feel about prosecuting high profile potential v dangerous/organised crime type cases. There is a professional integrity that comes with seeing justice upheld and therefore defending supposedly “unsavoury ” characters accused of horrible crimes. But I would think organised crime might make you think twice about your own safety? That said I used to know a criminal barrister who did used to get involved in prosecutions there. The family just lived under police protection and never had to carry front door keys!!)

 

[MancGuy Uk]

Yes she was. She returned to the area around midnight after visiting a friend in East London. Walking the 5 mins home, she and I had no idea of what had happened. She looks similar and it hit me really hard in the following week

yeah something like this case would play on your mind heavily I can imagine because nobody would have though this would happen and the that the accused was a police officer it's must have been a shock for everyone in your area

 

[Fiercelobster]

This is not right , you can choose who to instruct to act for you.

You are both correct. You can choose who to instruct to act for you, yes. But you can also be appointed a QC by the state and that operates on a cab rank rule, which means outside of certain caveats a client cannot be refused. So, if you are allocated to a case you cannot turn it down theoretically.

What you are both saying does not contradict.

What this of course means is that those who can afford representation outside of legal aid have their pick of the QCs, whereas those on legal aid only have the option of who is appointed to them.

JMO, as ever.

 

[Stella123]

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry

Court heard that on 3rd March Wayne Couzens had finished his shift earlier that day - in the morning before Sarah Everard went missing

3:32 AM · Mar 16, 2021 from City of London, London

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry

Provisional trial date set - 25th October 2021 at the Old Bailey #SarahEverard

3:29 AM · Mar 16, 2021 from City of London, London

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry

There appears to be a small injury on the top of Wayne Couzen’s head. We know last week he was twice taken to hospital for treatment of head injuries

3:14 AM · Mar 16, 2021 from City of London, London

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry

He is sitting with his head bowed and hands held between his knees, as the prosecution discusses details of the case #SarahEverard

3:08 AM · Mar 16, 2021 from City of London, London

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry

Wayne Couzens, the police officer accused of murdering Sarah Everard, is appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. He’s wearing a red sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms

3:06 AM · Mar 16, 2021 from City of London, London·

Hope you don't mind me reposting these tweets - so they show UK time of posting From Becca Barry, ITV news. Time says 2 hours ago (currently 13.19pm UK so at approx 11.19am)

Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry
·
2h
The hearing lasted around half an hour. Wayne Couzens remanded in custody until a plea hearing set for 9th July #SarahEverard


Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry
·
2h
Provisional trial date set - 25th October 2021 at the Old Bailey #SarahEverard


Rebecca Barry
@BeccaBarry
·
3h
There appears to be a small injury on the top of Wayne Couzen’s head. We know last week he was twice taken to hospital for treatment of head injuries

 

[Fiercelobster]

Thank you for that, I'm starting to understand it now. Does that mean one could be "lucky" and get someone like Phillippe Sands (if the case was in his area of expertise) on legal aid? Or another proven legal representative who is internationally recognised as a leader in their field?

You are not going to get lucky, as such. You are only going to get a proven legal representative who is recognised as a leader in that area of law, given you are always going to get a QC for a murder charge. The Bar is pretty specialised. Even a junior barrister nowadays is likely to be specialist in just one area of law. A Clerk will allocate QC and they are not going to allocate a QC who specialises in family law to a murder case. If they did (never gonna happen, but lets say they did) then the QC could refuse it on the basis of not having the specialist knowledge.

JMO.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

MET POLICE STATEMENT

A serving police constable has appeared in court for a second time after he was charged with the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard.

Wayne Couzens, 48 (20.12.72) appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 13 March.

Today he appeared via video link at the Central Criminal Court.

A provisional trial date has been set for 25 October. A pre-trial plea hearing has been scheduled for Friday, 9 July.

A woman, aged in her 30s, who was arrested at the same time as Couzens on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April.

Sarah's family have been informed and specialist officers are in place to support the family and friends.

The investigation continues and is being led by Specialist Crime Command detectives who are drawing on expertise and skills from hundreds of colleagues across the Met. They are also being supported by Kent Police.

In the interests of clarity about these exceptional events, we are releasing further details of Couzens' employment with the Metropolitan Police Service.

Wayne Couzens joined the MPS on 10 September 2018. His first posting was to South Area where he joined a response team covering the Bromley area. He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command on 1 February 2020 where his primary role was on uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly a range of Embassies.

UPDATED: Sarah Everard murder: Police officer appears at Old Bailey via video link

 

[PorfiryPetrovitch]

Link: BBC - Sarah Everard: Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in court

"No bail application was made by defence barrister James Sturman QC, who also said legal aid was yet to be granted."

This suggests that the intention is to use Legal Aid. Although what I know about legal aid (from Gov website and The Secret Barrister book) that the disposable income threshold is very low. The household income would have to be below about £40K/year

 

[Stella123]

I can't access that tweet. Was it deleted?

I had that problem too - I think it depends which bit you click on - click on her name in blue - I've reposted them below

 

[Stella123]

Link: BBC - Sarah Everard: Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in court

"No bail application was made by defence barrister James Sturman QC, who also said legal aid was yet to be granted."

This suggests that the intention is to use Legal Aid. Although what I know about legal aid (from Gov website and The Secret Barrister book) that the disposable income threshold is very low. The household income would have to be below about £40K/year

I thought all criminal cases had full legal aid. Maybe just hasn't been processed yet? JMO

 

[Joolz1975]

Link: BBC - Sarah Everard: Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in court

"No bail application was made by defence barrister James Sturman QC, who also said legal aid was yet to be granted."

This suggests that the intention is to use Legal Aid. Although what I know about legal aid (from Gov website and The Secret Barrister book) that the disposable income threshold is very low. The household income would have to be below about £40K/year

37k I think I read earlier.

 

[Skigh]

MET POLICE STATEMENT

A serving police constable has appeared in court for a second time after he was charged with the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard.

Wayne Couzens, 48 (20.12.72) appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 13 March.

Today he appeared via video link at the Central Criminal Court.

A provisional trial date has been set for 25 October. A pre-trial plea hearing has been scheduled for Friday, 9 July.

A woman, aged in her 30s, who was arrested at the same time as Couzens on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April.

Sarah's family have been informed and specialist officers are in place to support the family and friends.

The investigation continues and is being led by Specialist Crime Command detectives who are drawing on expertise and skills from hundreds of colleagues across the Met. They are also being supported by Kent Police.

In the interests of clarity about these exceptional events, we are releasing further details of Couzens' employment with the Metropolitan Police Service.

Wayne Couzens joined the MPS on 10 September 2018. His first posting was to South Area where he joined a response team covering the Bromley area. He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command on 1 February 2020 where his primary role was on uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly a range of Embassies.

UPDATED: Sarah Everard murder: Police officer appears at Old Bailey via video link

Are they deliberately mentioning Bromley because of the recent find of bones found in Bromley?

Police investigate as 'human remains' discovered in woodland

 

[Sherlockhames]

What this of course means is that those who can afford representation outside of legal aid have their pick of the QCs, whereas those on legal aid only have the option of who is appointed to them.

JMO, as ever.[/QUOTE]


But crucially - because of the cost of a defence barrister in such a case. Unless you are a millionaire most fees are covered by legal aid. So a “top barrister” is, in terms of the types of cases they defend, paid for by the state (legal aid). Look at it another way - there is not a more experienced, therefore more expensive, barrister that one would go to if they had more money. So millionaires have the same access to the same legal representation as every other member of society (although in the wealthy case, they would have to pay costs if found guilty. Not sure if they are wrongfully accused).

 

[Winterbells]

Yes. You are correct. Biggin Hill is close to the Croydon/Bromley border and is almost definitely in the jurisdiction of the Bromley police that WC worked under.

Yes. His first job with the police was covering Bromley in 2018.
Sarah Everard: Met PC Wayne Couzens charged with murder

 

[Bedlam]

Are they deliberately mentioning Bromley because of the recent find of bones found in Bromley?

Police investigate as 'human remains' discovered in woodland

Unlikely, probably just giving brief background of his time with MPS. Bromley has been mentioned before, it isn't new.

 

[Fiercelobster]

But crucially - because of the cost of a defence barrister in such a case. Unless you are a millionaire most fees are covered by legal aid. So a “top barrister” is, in terms of the types of cases they defend, paid for by the state (legal aid). Look at it another way - there is not a more experienced, therefore more expensive, barrister that one would go to if they had more money. So millionaires have the same access to the same legal representation as every other member of society (although in the wealthy case, they would have to pay costs if found guilty. Not sure if they are wrongfully accused).

Oh absolutely - very much my opinion too. One of the finest principles of our legal system. I didn't mean to imply choice meant better at all!

 

[dotr]

Moira mother's anguish over parallels with Sarah Everard case
''The mother of a woman who was abducted and murdered in Glasgow has expressed her concern for Sarah Everard's family.

Bea Jones said she had been left "distressed" by the similarities between the case and what happened to her own daughter, Moira, in 2008.

And she has urged the public to keep Sarah's loved ones in mind.

Bea wrote: "We send love to them all and wish them all the strength they need to get through all the dark days ahead."

''Moira Jones was randomly abducted yards from her home and forced into nearby Queen's Park, where she was raped and beaten to death.


''Bea says she can understand the reaction and response from women nationwide to the shocking crime and believes Sarah's family may have been comforted by the thought that "so many were grieving with them".

But she continues: "Now it has all escalated into a media frenzy more representative of individual anger than of shared grief.

"I am very concerned that events have developed to such an extent that those who matter most, Sarah and her family, are being totally swamped and further traumatised by what is going on around them, adding trauma to trauma.

"How can they cope at all? There is only so much that a head can absorb and a heart can cope with and they have so much more to find out in the weeks and months ahead as dreadful details of Sarah's death are revealed to them."

 

[Stella123]

Are they deliberately mentioning Bromley because of the recent find of bones found in Bromley?

Police investigate as 'human remains' discovered in woodland

That report says "Early indications are that the bones may have been present for a number of years." The accused was only there from Sept 2018. But maybe just want to make it clear where he was and when and that he was not with the Met that long (as in - not a long standing Met officer - distancing?) MOO.