Officer Wayne Couzens, who joined the Metropolitan Police force in 2018, was charged with Everard’s kidnap and murder. On Tuesday he admitted to kidnapping Everard “unlawfully and by force or fraud” and raping the marketing executive. He did not enter a plea for her murder, but those gathered in court heard that he had accepted responsibility for her death.
The next hearing in the case will take place on July 9.
Everard’s devastated family paid tribute to her in March, describing her as “bright and beautiful,” “thoughtful” and “dependable.”
Following her disappearance, Britons united in outrage and grief took to the streets and social media to share their own accounts of assault and to demand change. At a vigil organized to pay tribute to Everard earlier this year, London’s Metropolitan Police force was widely condemned as officers used force to break apart groups of mourners.
At the time, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the gathering had been “unlawful” while citing coronavirus concerns.
Photos of officers arresting women and pinning others to the ground triggered further calls for better protection for women in a world where so many do not feel safe. Angry mourners who had gathered to pay their respects to Everard were stunned at the use of force, with some chanting “arrest your own” toward officers.
Days before Everard vanished, Couzens was accused of exposing himself in a London restaurant, with British media reporting that he continued to serve as a working officer despite the allegation for indecent exposure on Feb 28.
Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Police said it had launched an investigation into whether officers had responded “appropriately” to the incident.
On Tuesday, Everard’s name trended once again on social media as many took to Twitter to pay tribute to her.
“Thinking of everyone who knew Sarah Everard, and sending strength and solidarity with all women today,” read one tweet. “Being able to walk home should be the bare minimum standard of safety for women. The BARE MINIMUM,” read another.
Research published earlier this year from U.N. Women United Kingdom shows at least 97 percent of British women aged between 18 and 24 have experienced sexual harassment in public.
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