Ex-Met Officer Samantha Lee Faces Misconduct Hearing Over Wayne Couzens Investigation
Missed Clues in Shocking Exposé
Samantha Lee, once a police constable in the South Area Command Unit, is under fire for allegedly bungling a key investigation in March 2021. She’s accused of “failing to undertake the correct investigative enquiries” after Wayne Couzens flashed staff at a takeaway restaurant.
Couzens: From Flashing Offender to Convicted Killer
Wayne Couzens is currently serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard on March 3, 2021, as she made her way home through South London. At the time, Couzens was a firearms officer with the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit.
But that wasn’t his first brush with sexual crimes. He had a history of escalating indecent behaviour — admitting to flashing takeaway workers twice in February 2021. Court proceedings revealed that police had been tipped off about these incidents but never linked them to Couzens before Everard’s tragic death.
Serious Allegations Rock Met Police
Now, Lee—who is no longer a serving PC—is set to face a seven-day misconduct hearing starting May 15. The charges? Failing to properly investigate Couzens’ indecent exposure allegations and providing a misleading account of her actions when questioned.
“It is alleged that in doing so, the following Professional Behaviour Standards were violated: Duties and Responsibilities; Honesty and Integrity.”
The hearing will be held publicly in Southwark, drawing attention to police accountability amid one of the Met’s darkest cases.
Couzens’ Indecency Sentences Prior to Murder Conviction
Before his life sentence for murder, Couzens received a 19-month sentence in March for three counts of indecent exposure. Aside from the takeaway incidents, he also shocked a cyclist in November 2020 by standing naked roadside — a chilling precursor to his deadly crimes.
