Story at a glance
- A British police officer pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard on Friday in London’s Central Criminal Court.
- Everard was walking home from a friend’s house in London on March 3 when she was abducted, raped and murdered.
- Her killer, Wayne Couzens, was a member of Scotland Yard’s armed Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command unit.
A British police officer pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard in a case that sparked international outcry over violence against women.
Wayne Couzens, a now-former member of Scotland Yard’s armed Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command unit, pleaded guilty to Everard’s murder on Friday in London’s Central Criminal Court via video call. He previously pleaded guilty to additional charges of kidnapping and raping Everard.
Everard was walking home from a friend’s house in London on March 3 when Couzens abducted, raped and murdered her. Her boyfriend reported her missing the following day, and her body was found 50 miles away in a wooded area of Kent a week later.
“We still do not know what drove him to commit this appalling crime against a stranger,” prosecutor Carolyn Oakley said, according to the New York Post. “Today is not the day for hearing the facts about what happened to Sarah. Today is a day to remember Sarah, and our thoughts remain with her family and friends.”
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Everard’s abduction, assault and killing sparked protests in the United Kingdom and outcry from countries worldwide, with scores of women taking to social media to note that Everard had done everything “right” as a woman walking alone — staying on a lit and main street, wore bright clothing, and didn’t wear headphones — and still fell victim to a violent crime.
Other women shared their own experiences being catcalled and assaulted, fears of walking alone and precautions they take to attempt to avoid such an attack.
Couzens will be sentenced on Sept. 29, 2021.
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