Wayne Couzens Appears in Court Charged with Kidnap and Murder of Sarah Everard
Sarah Everard vanished while walking home near Tulse Hill in South London. Now, serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens faces charges of kidnap and murder.
Police Officer Held Over Sarah Everard’s Disappearance
Wayne Couzens, 48, made his first court appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court following his dramatic arrest at home in Deal, Kent, on Tuesday.
Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive from York, vanished on 3 March while walking from a friend’s house in Clapham Junction to her Brixton home.
Final Sightings and Gruesome Discovery
The last confirmed sighting of Sarah was captured on a doorbell camera near Tulse Hill around 9:30pm. A week later, search teams found her remains in woodland near Great Chart Village, on the outskirts of Ashford, Kent.
Couzens’ Court Appearance
In court, Couzens sat with his head in his hands, dressed in a grey jumper and guarded by two officers as the charges were read out. No bail application was made, and he was remanded to Belmarsh Prison ahead of a Crown Court hearing on 16 March 2021.
The court was told that Sarah’s body was found in a builder’s bag and identified through dental records.
Further Developments
Couzens required hospital treatment twice after injuring himself in custody — first after a head injury in his police cell, and again after hitting his head on the bed frame at Wandsworth Police Station.
A woman in her 30s, believed to be related to Couzens, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. She has since been released on bail with a return date set for mid-April.
