GUILTY UK - Sarah Everard, 33, London, Clapham Common area, 3 Mar 2021 *Life sentence* #16

[ameliak]

I didn't see that reported. Where did they say that? Horrific

Strangulation often fractures the hyoid bone, which is in front of the neck and not part of the neck vertebrae.

 

[thatssoamy]

I think at first she would have been confused by the arrest itself it seemed so harsh what I can not stop thinking about the moment she realised in the car that this was not an arrest they are not going to a police station all of sudden the situation she is in is a dangerous one would he have listen to her pleas for the 80 mile journey did he enjoy her being scared? what happened when they changed vehicles? she was handcuffed when he arrested her from minute 1 of he kidnapping and did not really stand a chance against this monster

I was kidnapped off the street when I was 16, I was driven 20 minutes away. That was excruciatingly long, thinking about all the things that could happen when we arrived. 80 miles to me is unthinkable. The horror I endured during 20 minutes, I cant even put into words. So for me I know on some level how Sarah felt but 80 miles of thinking that is sickening.

 

[swedeheart]

Wayne Couzens showed 'experienced behaviour' by snatching Sarah Everard | Daily Mail Online

"Wayne Couzens should be considered over unsolved murders and crimes, experts urged today as they said 'everything suggested he had done this before'.

The killer rapist, 48, who staged a fake arrest to trap Sarah Everard in the back of his car was this morning sentenced to a whole life order for his crimes.

But experts say the confidence in which he carried out the abduction shows he had done it before.

And the way he disposed of Miss Everard’s body by burning her remains signalled ‘experienced behaviour’.

Criminologist Professor David Wilson told MailOnline: ‘I am absolutely convinced he is being looked at for other things.

‘Everything revealed yesterday suggests Couzens has behaved in this way before."

 

[CuriousObserver1]

I agree.
The guardian film footage of all his little stops is quite remarkable.
Gave him an appetite, didn't it?
Wayne Couzens timeline: footage shows movements before murdering Sarah Everard

The hairbands seem such a random purchase, I assume that was maybe something he was picking up for his wife/daughter rather than for use in his crimes?

 

[Skigh]

They probably don't know. It occurred to me, considering him doing normal things in the middle of all this (double life) that he may have been just asked to get some for his daughter by his wife. The main thing is the other purchases were related to planning rape (the gel and handcuff key etc).

Some people have stated that the hair bands could have been used by him as part of the rape.

 

[Stella123]

I guess they were waiting for orders, but yes it is strange and I remember upthread someone saying they wondered if WC was tipped off - he wiped his phone just before Police entered the house (according to one newspaper report it was 39 minutes before Police came in). Which is worrying. Unless whoever tipped him off didn't actually know what he'd done. Even so, still worrying. Sorry can't remember which media link it said 39 minutes before. MOO


"I'm sure it said somewhere that before his arrest officers were outside his house for about two hours. Why did they wait so long? At this point there was a possibility Sarah was still alive somewhere. Surely every second could have been crucial in any attempt to find her[/QUOTE]

 

[sriraaacha]

The thing that freaked me out about the recent DM article is that it states he drove around for 2 hours that night, 'prowling' places like Kensington, Earls Court and Lavender Hill. As you can tell from my username, I live in Kensington. Thank god I wasn't out alone that night. If it wasn't Sarah it would have been someone else, he was clearly out with the intention of finding a woman to kill.

I've gotcha. Probably a year ago since it actually happened, I used to be around that exact Clapham/Battersea area around once/twice a week. With my bf (back then) but still... it's VERY creepy to think we could've been right there as it happened. I never liked that area regardless, especially towards Brixton, but nobody would have thought anything like this would've happened.

 

[thoughts101]

The lawyer in me would like to see an appeal. When creating a "new category" for police officers that seems right and just, it should be appealed for precedent value, including up one level to the Court of Appeal or perhaps even the Supreme Court. That is in my view the only and best way to protect the precedent that has been set today at the first level.

 

[KarenUK]

The hairbands seem such a random purchase, I assume that was maybe something he was picking up for his wife/daughter rather than for use in his crimes?

Without going into too much detail, an associate of mine is a former male stripper, and they use hair ties for... erm.... "enhancement" purposes

 

[MancGuy Uk]

I wonder what would've happened if Sarah had resisted the arrest. Like at that time of covid restrictions, I do remember very clearly that visiting friends wasn't "allowed" (maybe unless in your "bubble"?), but imagine she had genuinely just been out to the supermarket or been going for a walk (daily exercise) or to/back from work, would her reaction have still been the same? Would she still have gotten into the car?...

That's a good question how would he have reacted if she said she had just been going for a walk? during the lockdown you was banned from meeting up with other people in another households but was not banned from excercising, jogging etc that would have forced him to think of something else did he actually witness her leaving her friends house?

 

[Skigh]

I certainly hope there will not be an appeal. No way should Sarah's friends and family be put through any more trauma.

 

[Stella123]

Methinks the court will consider the seriousness of the offence to be EXCEPTIONALLY high and the starting point will be a life order. There are at least four aggravating factors and nothing in the way of mitigation.....an early guilty plea won't cut it.

I think the Judge will place extreme weight on the absolute breach of trust by a serving police officer in using his position, warrant card, 'powers', police knowledge and handcuffs as a means of executing such an horrific and terrifying crime when his primary core duty was the protection of life.

I believe that will be the key feature of this tragic case that will hammer the nail in a whole life tariff. I hope WC's life is long and that he suffers every second, of every minute of every day and night.

I am not even sure he will suffer mentally over it - he will feel sorry for himself. And seek sympathy no doubt and make excuses - he was driven to it or something. Concerns me that he may be a model prisoner.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

I don't know about anyone else but I am sobbing. Tears of relief, tears of anguish over Sarah and her poor family. May he rot.

It got right to me also, more than any other. Personally, the whole tragedy of what Sarah was forced to undergo is compounded by the sense of shame and betrayal I feel, that a police officer could be the complete antithesis of what police officers should be to everyone.

The police really do protect life a great deal more than many would realise. I know I used to instil in new probationers that I tutored in their first weeks, that they had great power and with that comes great responsibility to exercise those powers lawfully, fairly, proportionately and wisely.

I really feel that policing has lost touch with the public and as consequence the principle of policing by consent has been lost also. There is a police culture that persists, one of them and us. They have lost the public confidence and their narrow minded view prevents their leaders from identifying how to regain that trust from the top down.

Enough said. Today is Sarah's day of justice, although it is so bitter sweet. May she rest in peace and always shine a light.

 

[Parmalade]

The right sentence, and I hope it can provide even the smallest crumb of comfort to Sarah’s family and friends.

I thought the Judge’s comparison of using the trust we (the public) are all told to have in the police against a member of us with a politically-motivated crime that threatens the underpinnings of our democracy, was as excellent as it was sobering.

If it’s not too crass, I’d like to share a note of thanks to each of you on here, and those on all of the threads from the start - it has been warming to see so many care about, firstly, a stranger’s safety and, sadly later, justice for them. I’ve learnt a lot from a multitude of insightful posts too.

The final word is Sarah’s: you don’t need any of us to tell you how you did not deserve for your life to be stolen in this way, or in any way. You will never be forgotten, by your loved ones but also by many that you never even knew, and I hope you are at peace now.

 

[Skigh]

Without going into too much detail, an associate of mine is a former male stripper, and they use hair ties for... erm.... "enhancement" purposes

It is amazing what one learns on Websleuths.

 

[Nikynoo]

Brazenness or just stupidity?

It's obvs from his Police interview that he's not the sharpest tool.

He's no master criminal.

JMO

This is exactly why I do not think he has committed other crimes of this nature.

 

[Officer Dibble]

It's worth keeping in mind that the Justice's comments are all relative

He is comparing WC to the very worst murders who get full life tariff. Does he cross that line? Or is this just an awful murder but not the worst? Remember WC is being judged against people who did multiple murders.

Surely the legal system doesn't work on Top Trumps. Rape and Murder etc should be sufficient enough to warrant a life sentence but then what a joke a life sentence is as its never for life. JMO MOO

 

[lensamps]

That's a good question how would he have reacted if she said she had just been going for a walk? during the lockdown you was banned from meeting up with other people in another households but was not banned from excercising, jogging etc that would have forced him to think of something else did he actually witness her leaving her friends house?

I wondered this too, as I have wondered what I'd have done in this situation. If a lone male officer in an unmarked car wanted to handcuff me, when I hadn't committed a violent crime, I would think I'd have resisted that - but surely at this stage he is so set on his pursuit, that he would have used force to get her into the car?

(btw I am not victim blaming in saying I would have tried to resist - I am always very dubious/untrusting nature, while Sarah quite rightly trusted an official police officer's word. But just speculating on how things would have gone down if she had tried to resist - I think he'd have used force anyway).

 

[Stella123]

The twisted morals that come out in his lies here are very telling and troubling.

In the footage he seems relatively confident in his belief that kidnapping a young woman (for pressumed sexual exploitation) in order to protect his family is an acceptable and plausible explanation. It was mentioned in press coverage yesterday that he said he'd 'do it again' if it protected his family and got him out of trouble.

What he's really saying is that the life of a woman is a worthy trade off (or worse, means nothing) to get what he wants.

I think at that point, he was still playing the Police Officer and trying to get other Police onside - like you know, I'm a Police officer, I was being blackmailed, and hope they'd just drop it and keep rank with him. JMO. But yes the attitude is there as if he thought that would be seen as a lesser acceptable thing.

 

[Nikynoo]

Without going into too much detail, an associate of mine is a former male stripper, and they use hair ties for... erm.... "enhancement" purposes

This is what keeps me scratching my head. If the hair ties are used for you know what - does the person still have the urge to 'perform'? Or was he doing a side line for a certain type of video?

 

[Officer Dibble]

Helena Horton
@horton_official

"Ms Everard's family have asked via the Met Police that the media do not use photos of Sarah alongside those of Wayne Couzens. Hope newspapers take that request seriously."


Quite right

Yes totally agree with the family