A serving police constable has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard.

Wayne Couzens, 48 appeared at the Old Bailey today (Friday, 9 July) where he admitted murder.

He had already pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of Sarah, 33, at a hearing last month.

Couzens was arrested on Tuesday, 9 March, over the disappearance of Sarah on Wednesday, 3 March, in Clapham, south west London.

Commissioner Cressida Dick said:“My thoughts and those of everyone in the Met Police are with Sarah’s loved ones. It is not possible for any of us to begin to imagine what they have been going through. I am so sorry.

“I was able to speak to them earlier today and said to them how very sorry I am for their loss and their pain and their suffering.

“All of us in the Met are sickened, angered and devastated by this man’s truly dreadful crimes. Everyone in policing feels betrayed.

“Sarah was a fantastic, talented young women with her whole life ahead of her and that has been snatched away. She was hugely loved and she will be sorely missed by so many people…”

Wayne Couzens

Couzens was transferred into the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), in September 2018.

His first posting was to South Area, serving initially in a Safer Neighbourhood Team, before joining a response team covering the Bromley area in February 2019.

He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February 2020 where his primary role was to patrol diplomatic premises, mainly embassies.

Couzens was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the Old Bailey to be sentenced on Wednesday, 29 September.

Twelve officers investigated by police watchdog 

Twelve officers are being investigated by the police watchdog over matters relating to the case of Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: “We have served a total of 12 gross misconduct or misconduct notices on police officers from several forces as we continue to investigate matters linked to the conduct of PC Couzens.”

The IOPC have issued the notices linked to several different ongoing investigations relating to the Couzens case.

One probe involves allegations that a Met police constable, who was still on probation, shared an inappropriate graphic relating to the case with officers over social media before manning the cordon at the scene of the search for Ms Everard.

Several notices have been served in relation to allegations that officers shared information linked to Couzens’ prosecution.