Sarah Everard news – Majority of Brits support police vigil action, poll shows, as Wayne Couzens' murder trial date set

A SERVING police officer today appeared in court charged with the kidnap and murder of tragic Sarah Everard.

Wayne Couzens, 48, was held last week after police swooped on his home in Ashford, Kent.

Gun cop Couzens, who joined the Met Police in 2018, appeared via videolink from Belmarsh Prison today for his first crown court appearance at the Old Bailey.

Sarah's family watched remotely as the married dad-of-two – wearing a red sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms, spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He appeared to have a large cut on his head and rocked back and forth during the hearing.

Prosecutor Tom Little QC told the judge there has been "a significant and wide-ranging investigation" in the case.

Couzens was remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on July 9 at the same court.

A provisional trial date was set for October 25 and is expected to last for four weeks.

Met Police detectives investigating the 33-year-old's death are painstakingly scouring large swathes of Sandwich, Kent.

The item of jewellery, found on top of a car park machine at a local Co-Op, was placed in an evidence bag – but it is not clear if it is connected to the tragic case.

Other officers with sticks were seen searching through a shopping trolley shelter and scanning under cars in the supermarket's car park.

Follow our live blog below for the latest developments in the story…

  • Niamh Cavanagh

    MORE THAN HALF OF PUBLIC SUPPORT MET POLICE HANDLING OF SARAH EVERARD'S VIGIL SAYS SURVEY

    More than half of the public support how the Met Police handled Sarah Everard's vigil on Clapham Common on Saturday, a survey has revealed.

    The YouGov survey showed that 53 percent of Brits supported the actions of Met Police with 56 percent support among men and 50 percent for women.

  • Niamh Cavanagh

    PICTURED

    Police clashed with protesters last night outside New Scotland Yard.

  • Niamh Cavanagh

    CONTINUED

    In the third day of demonstrations in London, people have expressed their anger and called for an end to gender violence.

    Protesters were also calling for a new policing bill to be scrapped.

    The protest – named 'Kill the Bill' – is calling for politicians not to pass the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which was discussed in Parliament.

    The bill was passed by MPs and will now give police and the home secretary greater powers to crack down on protests.

    Under the bill, police forces will be able to impose a start and end time for demonstrations set a noise limit and shut down protests that have a "relevant impact on persons in the vicinity".

  • Niamh Cavanagh

    VIGIL OUTRAGE

    Violence broke out on the third day of an anti-cop rally last night as anger grows over police tactics at a vigil for Sarah Everard.

    Hundreds of people gathered outside Parliament yesterday afternoon and then moved towards New Scotland Yard – the Metropolitan Police's headquarters.

    They were seen scuffling with police, with some people filmed as they threw objects – seemingly water bottles – at officers.

    It comes as anger continues to grow over the Met Police's heavy-handed response to a vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham, south London at the weekend.

    Protesters last night were also caught on camera while shouting at officers and holding anti-police banners.

  • Katie Davis

    POST-MORTEM AND INQUEST

    Sarah Everard, 33, vanished after walking home from a friend’s house in Clapham, South West London, on March 3.

    Her body had to be identified by dental records after being found in a builder’s bag in Kent, it is said.

    A post-mortem has taken place but a cause of death has not been released – with an inquest due to open and adjourn this week.

  • Katie Davis

    POLICING OF SARAH EVERARD VIGIL DISASTROUS, SAYS FORMER SENIOR MET OFFICER

    A former senior Metropolitan Police officer has criticised the “disastrous” handling of the Sarah Everard vigil in London.

    The “appalling scenes” at Clapham Common on Saturday, which saw clashes and arrests, were the inevitable result of decisions taken in advance by the top ranks, according to Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick, who served as a deputy assistant commissioner in the force.

    Sir Thomas Winsor, chief inspector of constabulary, is to carry out a review into the way the event was policed.

    Speaking at Westminster, Lord Paddick pointed out as a senior officer he had undergone advanced public order training and had been in charge of policing numerous high-profile events.

    He said: “I make no criticisms of the officers on the ground, carrying out the orders of their senior officers. I am not an armchair critic of operational police officers making difficult decisions in real-time on the ground.

  • Katie Davis

    SARAH EVERARD COP 'SHARED SICK MEME'

    A cop guarding the site where Sarah Everard’s remains were found allegedly sent a sick meme about her kidnap and murder to seven colleagues. 

    The Met PC shared a parody of the Highway Code showing a guide of the six stages from abduction to murder, it is claimed. 

    The meme, obtained by the Daily Mail, reportedly shows an officer directing traffic and holding a hand up which reads: “Stop single girl”. 

    He then gives signals for different twisted actions, which ends in the murder and disposal of the body, the Mail reports.

    Sickened colleagues reported the probationer to bosses the next day and he was immediately moved off the inquiry and placed on restricted duties with no direct involvement with the public.

  • Katie Davis

    WOMAN FLASHED AT VIGIL

    A woman who was flashed by a man after Sarah Everard’s vigil says she was refused help by police, with a male officer telling her: “I don’t want to deal with rioters”.

    Georgina, 27, was walking home from the event in Clapham Common on Saturday evening when the man exposed himself to her. She says she reported the incident to police at the time because they happened to be nearby.

    But when a female officer said she would investigate, her male colleague interjected, telling Georgina he “didn’t want to deal with it”.

    She told Good Morning Britain: “As I headed home, there was a man who was quite incoherent, he had his genitalia out as I tried to walk past him, I felt really uncomfortable.”

    She added: “This isn’t the first time this has happened to me, I know this has happened to many, many women and a lot of times we haven’t had an opportunity to talk to police right at that moment.”

  • Katie Davis

    WOMEN WARNED NOT TO GO OUT ALONE AFTER STRING OF SEX ASSAULTS IN ESSEX

    Women have been warned they should not risk going out alone after a string of sex attacks in an Essex town.

    Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to in connection with the shocking incidents in Basildon.

    Cops have also stepped up patrols after four assaults on women which are all being linked.

    The first attack took place on February 5 at 2pm when a woman was followed by a man. On the same day, a 34-year-old woman was attacked when someone grabbed her.

    On February 15, a woman in her 20s was assaulted by a man at about 2.30pm. Within half an hour another woman was approached from behind by a man and sexually assaulted.

  • Katie Davis

    SARAH'S FAMILY WATCHED AS COP APPEARED IN COURT VIA VIDEO LINK

    Gun cop Couzens, who joined the Met Police in 2018, appeared via videolink from Belmarsh Prison today for his first crown court appearance at the Old Bailey.

    Sarah’s family watched remotely as the married dad-of-two – wearing a red sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms – spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

    He appeared to have a large cut on his head and rocked back and forth during the hearing.

    Couzens was remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on July 9 at the same court.

    A provisional trial date was set for October 25 and is expected to last for four weeks.

  • Katie Davis

    COUZENS IN COURT

    Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard.

    The 48-year-old appeared via video link from the Category A Belmarsh Prison in south-east London for the hearing this morning.

  • Katie Davis

    JUST 1.4% OF RAPE ALLEGATIONS ARE PROSECUTED, ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL STATS

    Just 1.4 per cent of rape allegations are prosecuted, shocking official stats show – the lowest figure on record.

    Furious campaigners have warned that many victims are staying silent about their abuse because they have lost faith in the courts – with England’s courts now have a backlog of some 56,000 cases.

    Labour say rape cases hang on the evidence of the victim, and leaving them to go unheard for many months or even years only harms the chances of getting a conviction.

    Ministers have vowed to crack down on sexual abuse and harassment of women in the wake of Sarah’s killing. They are urging women to come forward with their experiences of abuse and ideas for change.

    Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to making Britain’s streets safer.

  • Katie Davis

    VIGILS IMPORTANT BUT ‘COULD BE SUPERSPREADING’

    Dr Hilary today warned vigils in memory of Sarah Everard are “superspreading” events for Covid “however strong people feel”.

    The Good Morning Britain doc said he understood how important the memorials were after the 33-year-old vanished – with a cop since charged over her murder.

    Speaking of the mass protests on Good Morning Britain today, Dr Hilary said he expected the UK would see another wave in two to three weeks after the gatherings.

    He said: “I know how important the protest for Sarah Everard is… but we have to be really careful. However strongly you feel it is putting lives at risk down the line. 

    “I’m all in favour of peaceful protest with a cause as great as this but there must be a creative way of doing it.”

  • Katie Davis

    SARAH EVERARD PROTESTERS SCRAWL WORDS ON MEMORIAL

    Protesters scrawled "all coppers are b******s" over a memorial commemorating the Battle of Britain during an anti-police rally in London.

    Hundreds of people have taken to the street to protest over police tactics at a vigil organised to remember Sarah Everard at the weekend.

    During one of the protests, the acronym ACAB – which stands for 'All Cops Are B******s' – was scrawled over a monument on the Victoria Embankment in London.

    The monument was built to honour the airmen who died in the Second World War and was unveiled on September 18, 2005 – the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

    Read more here

  • Katie Davis

    GOLD NECKLACE FOUND AT CO-OP CAR PARK IN SANDWICH, KENT

    Officers have cordoned off a Co-op car park and a pathway close to woodland as part of the investigation.

    Cops yesterday placed a gold necklace found on top of a car park machine in an evidence bag but it is not clear if it is connected to the tragic case.

    Others officers with sticks were seen searching through a shopping trolley shelter and under cars in the car park.

    Specialist police divers also waded through a stream next to a pathway as the new search continues.

    Police tape is also up around a Salvation Army clothing bin and a recycling bin next to public toilets.

  • Katie Davis

    POLICE WATCHDOG LAUNCH NEW PROBE INTO MET’S HANDLING OF SARAH EVERARD CASE

    The police watchdog has announced two new separate investigations relating to the Sarah Everard case.

    One probe will examine how suspect Wayne Couzens sustained head injuries in custody.

    The other will look into an “inappropriate” graphic allegedly shared by a cop who took part in search operations.

    Read more here.

  • Katie Davis

    ARRESTS AT ‘KILL THE BILL’ PROTEST

    Four people were arrested after crowds gathered outside Parliament as anger grows over police tactics at a vigil for Sarah Everard.

    Hundreds of people marched in London yesterday to protest over violence against women despite cops asking demonstrators to “head home immediately”.

    Protesters marched from Parliament Square towards Westminster Bridge, where a group was pictured sitting in the street. They then headed towards the Soho area.

    A group of demonstrators also staged a sit-in outside Scotland Yard – the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police – as anger grows over the police’s handling of a vigil for Sarah Everard at the weekend.

    Police confirmed today four people were arrested and two were slapped with fixed penalty notices.

    Three were held on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulations under Covid laws, while a forth was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

  • Katie Davis

    PM BACKS MET POLICE CHIEF OVER VIGIL POLICING

    The Prime Minister has backed Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick despite the “very distressing” scenes at a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.

    Boris Johnson said the police had a “very difficult job” to do, as Scotland Yard continued to face questions over its handling of the event.

    Officers clashed with crowds gathered on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat on March 3.

    Serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with kidnapping and murdering her.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel said footage of the Clapham Common event was “upsetting” but defended restrictions on protests put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus.

  • Katie Davis

    SAFETY APP SEES SURGE AFTER SARAH’S DEATH

    A personal safety app created in the wake of a 20 year old hairdresser’s murder by her jealous ex-boyfriend seven years has seen a surge in downloads since the death of Sarah Everard.

    Hollie Guard, named after tragic Hollie Hazzard, who was killed in February 2014, has now been downloaded by more than 200,000 people, said a spokesperson for a charity set up in her memory.

    A ‘significant number’ of the downloads have come since marketing executive Sarah Everard was kidnapped and murdered.

    “The personal safety app was born from a chance meeting between PanicGuard founder, Mikkel Dissing, and the Gazzard family, who tragically lost their daughter, Hollie, at the hands of her ex-partner at a hair salon in Gloucester,” the spoksperson said.

    “Hollie’s father, Nick, set-up the Hollie Gazzard Trust to raise awareness of domestic violence and partnered with PanicGuard to produce Hollie Guard – a free mobile app that raises an alert with a simple shake.”

  • Katie Davis

    WELSH COPS PRAISED FOR VIGIL RESPONSE

    Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams has praised cops in Wales for the “sensitive way” in which vigils to Sarah Everard were handled over the weekend.

    She told a Welsh Government press conference: “Can I say how grateful I am to women and men in Wales who over this weekend carried out vigils to mark the death of Sarah… and the police that oversaw those gatherings in a really respectful way.

    “We have to remember we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and we need people to be cognizant of that.

    “But I would commend both those that wanted to have their voices heard this weekend in Wales, and the police for the sensitive way that that was handled.”

  • Katie Davis

    SUSANNA REID SLAMS ‘SHOCKING SCENES’ AT VIGIL

    Susanna Reid made a passionate speech about women’s safety after the vigil for Sarah Everard.

    She tackled “shocking” scenes at Clapham Common which saw women pinned to the ground and handcuffed – and pleaded for answers on how things had gone so badly wrong

    “This was supposed to be a peaceful vigil for Sarah,” Susanna told Good Morning Britain viewers.

    “That’s the absolutely tragic case of a woman who was simply walking home a week ago.

    “Women gathered – more than 1,000 of them – to just pay respects, lay flowers and make a point about the fact they don’t feel safe.”

  • Katie Davis

    SICK MESSAGE

    A cop guarding the site where Sarah Everard’s remains were found sent a twisted joke to colleagues on social media about her kidnap and murder.

    The Met PC shared a meme — containing six images of a uniformed officer abducting a woman — in a WhatsApp group the night after the grim find.

    Sickened colleagues reported the probationer to bosses the next day and he was immediately moved off the inquiry and placed on restricted duties with no direct involvement with the public.

    Read the full story here.

  • Katie Davis

    SAFE SPACE

    ASDA, Tesco and M&S have told shoppers that stores are a safe space following Sarah Everard's death.

    Anyone who feels they are in danger can walk into the shops to seek safety and ask staff for help.

    The shops have posted messages on social media telling customers about the support following Ms Everard's tragic death.

  • Katie Davis

    GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF ‘FAILING GIRLS AND WOMEN’

    Commenting on Saturday’s vigil, and the police crack-down on those at the event, Nick Thomas-Symonds told the Government it is “failing to address violence against women and girls”.

    The Shadow home secretary told MPs this afternoon: “And whilst the event was a vigil not a protest, the scenes from Clapham should be a red warning light to the Government that ministers should not be rushing through laws cracking down on protest.

    “The truth is this Government is failing to address violence against women and girls and ministers even want to curtail their right to protest about it. It is a chronic failure from this Government and meetings and reopening surveys alone are nowhere near enough.

    “And meetings that we understand the women and equalities minister won’t even be attending this evening.”

    Mr Thomas-Symonds continued: “The 296-page Bill we will consider later today contains the word memorial eight times and fails to include the word women once.”

  • Sarah Grealish

    JOHNSON VOWS TO DO ‘EVERYTHING WE CAN’ TO MAKE STREETS SAFE FOR WOMEN

    Boris Johnson has said the Government is committed to doing “everything we can” to make the streets safe for women in the wake of the killing of Sarah Everard.

    Following a meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister, Downing Street said it was taking a series of “immediate steps” to improve security.

    They include a doubling of the Safer Streets fund – which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV – to £45 million.

    At the same time it said ministers were committed to working with police forces and with police and crime commissioners to ensure the measures were more focussed on preventing sexual violence.

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