Britain’s most senior police officer has hailed the “extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief” shown by the family of Sarah Everard on the fifth anniversary of her murder.
The 33-year-old was raped and killed by a serving Metropolitan Police officer who tricked her into thinking she could be arrested for breaking Covid lockdown rules as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3 2021.
Sarah was originally from York and her parents , Jeremy, a lecturer at the University of York, and Susan, still live in the city.
In December, Susan said the family were “left with an overwhelming sense of loss and what might have been”.
““I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her, I can’t get past the horror of her last hours. I am still tormented by the thought of what she endured,” she added.
In a statement issued by the force today, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “Sarah Everard should still be here.
“Five years have passed since her senseless and devastating murder.
“What happened to her was a profound betrayal: of her, of her family and loved ones, and of every person who places their trust in policing.”
He said the fact that she was killed by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, was “as devastating today as it was in 2021”.
“It was an unthinkable abuse of power and a total violation of the values that the Met, and policing stands for.
“On the day I heard what he had done, I felt devastated for the immense harm his actions caused to the trust that underpins our relationship with the communities we serve.
“What he did shook policing to its core. It made decent, dedicated officers and staff across the country furious that one of our own could commit such a monstrous crime.
“We will always be deeply sorry: for the unimaginable harm done to Sarah, for the trauma endured by her family – who have shown extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief – and for the profound damage inflicted on the trust Londoners should be able to place in their police service.”
Couzens was given a whole-life jail term at the end of his Old Bailey trial in September 2021, and the powerful victim impact statement made by Ms Everard’s mother led to the unmasking of another predator hiding in the ranks of the Met.
One of the victims of David Carrick was moved to come forward and make a report to the police, which eventually led to his conviction as a serial rapist.
The cases led to two damning reviews – one a report by Baroness Louise Casey in March 2023 that found the Met was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.
Then an inquiry by Dame Elish Angiolini in February 2024 concluded that the Met and two other police forces could and should have stopped Couzens being a police officer.
Sir Mark spearheaded efforts to clean up the Met, with 1,500 officers and staff having been sacked, resigned or retired in the past three years.
But in September last year he warned “toxic or corrupt networks or cliques” that might be resistant to change remained in the force.
This followed undercover reporting at Charing Cross police station by Panorama that led to accusations of excessive use of force and offensive discriminatory comments.
Sir Mark went on: “This tragic case also brought into sharp focus the need for a national reset in how policing, and society more widely, prioritises tackling violence against women and girls, as starkly illustrated by the Angiolini Review.
“With the painful reality that far too many remain victim‑survivors and still do not feel safe, this anniversary is more than symbolic.
“It is a reminder of our duty to the millions of women and girls who move through London every day with a right to feel protected, not fearful; respected, not dismissed; believed, not doubted.
“We know we have not always lived up to that responsibility and must continue to repair the damage inflicted on the trust of women and girls in policing.
“I don’t just see this as an operational priority – it is also a moral one, and one I am fiercely committed to.”
The mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said there is “much more work to do” to ensure women and girls feel safe in the capital.
“Sarah’s murder by a serving police officer shocked and horrified the entire country and rightly sparked an outcry about the national epidemic of violence against women and girls,” Sir Sadiq said.
“In London, we are targeting the worst perpetrators of violence against women and girls, doubling down on standards within the Met and working to tackle toxic misogyny in our society.
“But we still have much more work to do to ensure women and girls feel safe and are safe in our city – wherever they are, whatever time of day or night. As Mayor, I am determined to do everything in my power to help end violence against women and girls as we continue to build a safer London for everyone.”
Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said: “Five years on from Sarah Everard’s tragic murder, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her.
“I will do everything I can to ensure women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so cruelly denied.”
