A woman who was flashed three days before he killed Sarah by Wayne Couzens sobbed today as she said, “We could have saved Sarah” if the police had done their job.
Scotland Yard was convicted by a judge for doing ‘nothing’ to stop the predatory officer.
Ms Justice May said he could have been ‘easily’ tracked down after committing a string of indecent assaults in the days before kidnapping, raping and murdering the 33-year-old.
Today Sarah’s mother Susan watched as the former Met officer was sentenced to 19 months for the three ‘monstrous’ assaults in addition to the entire life sentence he is already serving for her murder.
That conviction also allowed the police watchdog the IOPC to release more details about a sickening WhatsApp group where he made rape and racial slurs. In a 2019 post, he sneered at a colleague “it has to be a consensus.”
Firearms Officer Couzens was allegedly on duty and working from home when he jumped out of the woods onto a female cyclist and carried out a naked sex act on a remote country lane in Kent in November 2020.
The 50-year-old exposed herself to two terrified female clerks at a McDonalds drive-through restaurant in Kent on February 14 and 27.
His latest attack – shown on cameras released by police – just three days before Couzens snatched 33-year-old Miss Everard from a south London street.
CCTV footage has now been released showing Couzens making two trips to the McDonald’s Drive-thru in Swanley, Kent
Police obtained his description, car registration, and bank card information, but officers failed to investigate the attacks, interview the victims, or identify the sex offender as one of their own until he was arrested for the murder.
The Old Bailey learned today how the three women targeted were left with ‘guilt’ after both Kent Police and Metropolitan Police failed to take the crimes seriously enough and missed crucial opportunities to stop Couzens.
Ms Justice May said: ‘He could have easily been tracked down from his car and his map.
The police then did nothing. Sarah Everard was taken three days later on March 3, 2021.
“The fact that no police came to find him or his black car, to question him about these incidents, can only have served to foster in the mind of the defendant a dangerous belief in his invincibility, in his power to dominate and sexually abuse, affirm and reinforce. without being stopped.’
Earlier today, the woman flashed by Couzens three days before Miss Everard’s murder cried as she shared how she recognized his face in newspaper articles following his arrest.
“I couldn’t believe I had met someone who would later become a murderer,” she said.
“It made me realize that police officers are ordinary people, some of whom may be a threat rather than protecting me.
Couzens is seen placing an order at the McDonald’s while driving back home after a 12 hour shift on the Met
Couzens’ car (blue arrow) is in line behind another vehicle as he waits to pick up the order
While Couzens collected his food and drink, he exposed himself to the restaurant staff
Murderer Wayne Couzens has been sentenced at the Old Bailey after admitting three counts of indecent exposure
Wayne Couzens court artist’s sketch appearing today at the Old Bailey via a video link from HMP Frankland
This indecent exposure incident was reported on Sunday.
“I had no one to contact me or ask for an explanation. It wasn’t until after Sarah’s murder that I got involved.
“If he had been held responsible when we reported it, we could have saved Sarah.”
The Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Officer also exposed herself to a female cyclist in Deal, Kent, who then told a female police officer what had happened within minutes of the attack on 13 November 2020.
The attack took place just a few miles from where the defendant took Miss Everard after kidnapping her.
But the police could not trace Couzens at the time after the victim could not remember his full license plate.
She told Couzens, “You took my freedom and replaced it with fear. It was a selfish, aggressive act and it has had a serious impact on the quality of my life and on the quality of the lives of those close to me.
“I am aware that some indecent exposure is seen as a minor offense, but research shows that this is a progressive form of behavior. I vividly remember worrying that someone who could expose themselves to a stranger in such an intimidating way might commit much more serious acts.
‘This is what happened. Four months after you exposed yourself to me, you raped and murdered an innocent woman.
“There were opportunities to identify you and they were not taken.
“When I reported your crime, I didn’t feel it was being taken as seriously as I thought it should have been. The horror of what happened will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
The McDonald’s drive-thru in Swanley, Kent where Couzens flashed staff in February 2021
Sarah Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped and killed by Couzens while serving with the Metropolitan Police
Two police officers are facing misconduct proceedings for their handling of the allegations.
Couzens showed no emotion at the hearing when he appeared on a video link from Frankland prison.
Following his murder conviction, Couzens was charged with six counts of indecent exposure.
In February, he pleaded guilty to three of the charges after failing to get the case dismissed due to negative publicity surrounding Miss Everard’s murder.
He denied three other allegations of indecent exposure dating back to June 2015.
Following today’s sentencing, the IOPC released a report it should have previously held back on a WhatsApp group with police officers, including PC Jonathon Cobban and PC Joel Borders, who were jailed for three months in November for the messages.
Four other officers, PC Gary Bailey, PC Matthew Forster, William Neville and PC Daniel Comfort lost their jobs over the incident.
The messages were found on Couzens’ phone after he was arrested for the murder of Sarah Everard. The group chats were called “Bottles & Stoppers” and “Atkin’s Puppets.”
They contain offensive messages about race, women, rape, violence, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and disability.
On February 22, Couzens said, “Messy, delicious. Remember Forster, it must be consensual!’
PC Forster replied, “They only have to say yes once.”
On March 21, 2019, after Cobban told the group chat that he had responded to an unconscious woman who had been drinking, Couzens said, “Did you (sexually touch) her to see if she was okay?”
Cobban said, “I’ve been thinking about it. But she was a real old lump. So I only raped one bystander.’
On June 21, 2019, Couzens said, “Mate, they’re not going to dump you with your skills unless you (sexually touch) a victim of DV (domestic violence)!” Oh, Jon, in that case you’re probably f*****.’
Cobban replied, “That’s good, DV victims love it * that’s why they are repeatedly victimized more often than not.”
On 29 June 2019, Couzens made a racist remark about Peckham in South East London: ‘You can add Peckham to that list. I was in CVTF (Violent Crime Task Force), the other service in Peckham, another village in Somalia!!!!’
The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which released the reports, has also investigated two officers for their handling of flashy allegations against Couzens, and will release their report once misconduct proceedings against the officers have been completed.
An independent investigation is underway, led by Dame Elish Angiolini, to investigate Couzen’s previous sex offenses and whether any opportunities were missed to stop him before the murder.
Separately, Kent Police will begin misconduct hearings for a sergeant who allegedly failed to properly investigate reports that a man – later identified as Couzens – was driving without pants in 2015.
The Met PC will face allegations that it failed to properly investigate evidence identifying Couzens as the driver who flashed McDonald’s staff before giving a dishonest report to IOPC inspectors.
Meanwhile, the Kent police sergeant is accused of not pursuing all lines of inquiry before completing their investigation into the report of a man driving naked.
The IOPC said Couzens was never spoken to and it “found no evidence” that investigators realized he was a police officer.
