Sarah Everard Documentary: Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing professional from South London, England, went missing on the evening of March 3, 2021, while going home to Brixton Hill from a friend’s House near Clapham Common. She was last seen walking toward Brixton Hill from a friend’s house near Clapham Common. Couzens was a member of the Metropolitan Police’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit.
Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit, was arrested in Deal, Kent, on March 9, 2021, initially on suspicion of Everard’s kidnapping and later on suspicion of her murder. Her bones were found in a wooded area near Ashford, Kent, on the 10th of March. Couzens was arrested and charged with abduction and murder two days after the remains of Everard were discovered and identified as those of the missing man.
“The fact that she had gone to a friend’s house for dinner during the height of the early 2021 lockdown made her more vulnerable to and more likely to submit to an accusation that she had acted in violation of the COVID regulations in some way,” he told the court. “She was more vulnerable to and more likely to submit to an accusation that she had acted in violation of the COVID regulations in some way.” A prosecution said Couzens targeted Everard on the evening of her disappearance as he opened a two-day sentencing trial at the Central Criminal Court in London.
Smaller gatherings took occur in London as well. A gathering in Highbury Fields drew roughly 50 people. A few people lit candles in Russell Square, despite the fact that it was also officially canceled. The police treatment of this modest vigil, which included requesting attendees and a local journalist to leave to conform with COVID-19 mass-gathering restrictions, was criticized by Camden councilor Angela Mason and others.
Couzens, A member of Elite Diplomatic Security
Couzens is due to be sentenced on Thursday. Couzens, who was a member of the elite diplomatic security section of the London Metropolitan Police (MET) at the time, abducted her in a “false arrest” by “handcuffing her and presenting his warrant card,” according to Little. Couzens then forced her into a rental vehicle that he had rented “in order to abduct and rape a lone lady,” according to the report. According to Little, a couple in a passing vehicle saw the abduction but mistaken it for an arrest by an undercover cop since they were dressed in police gear.
Among the crimes against Everard were “deception, kidnapping, rape, strangulation, and fire,” according to Little. Everard’s corpse was discovered in woods in Ashford, Kent, approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of London, a week after she went missing. Everard had been missing for nearly a week. Her case engulfed the United Kingdom, igniting a national debate about the protection of women on the streets of the country. Little stated that Everard’s previous partner had provided proof that he was “smart and streetwise” and would not have entered a vehicle with a stranger unless “forced or manipulated.”
Couzens sat in the dock on Wednesday, surrounded by members of Everard’s family, while the court deliberated whether or not to sentence him to a life sentence behind bars. The punishment is expected to be revealed on Thursday afternoon or evening. People outside the court carried banners with messages critical of the police, such as “Met Police Blood On Your Hands,” and they also used smoke flares to draw attention to their cause. “We are disgusted, outraged, and saddened by this man’s actions, which violate all we stand for,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement before the court hearing.
Women’s security
The case triggered a national debate in the UK regarding women’s safety and violence against women. Following the assassination, the British government reopened its public consultation on its policy to combat violence against women and girls, garnering an additional 160,000 replies in just two weeks. Some feminist advocates, on the other hand, think that not enough has changed since the murder. “The policies that could make a difference and the resourcing are not where they need to be,” Andrea Simon of the End Violence Against Women Coalition said.
Women killed by current or retired police officers in the UK since 2009 have mostly been partners, according to reports. They were strangers in this scenario. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services published a report commissioned by the government after the murder on September 17, 2021, finding “inconsistencies at every level in how the police respond to violence against women and girls (VAWG) and victims,” and recommending a “radical refocus and shift in the priority given to VAWG offences.”
On October 9, 2021, it was reported that BT CEO Philip Jansen had detailed plans for Walk Me Home, a phone service aimed at protecting lone women walking home. Users may be followed via the Global Positioning System (GPS) and receive notifications from emergency contacts and the police if they did not arrive at their location on time. The service would be activated by dialling a phone number, with 888 being suggested as the number to dial. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, backed the suggestion.
Vigils
In Sheffield, flowers were laid at a vigil for Everard. A newly-created protest group, Reclaim These Streets, has organized nationwide vigils for Saturday, March 13th. A message was issued to all police chiefs the day before the vigils, making it clear that, due to the COVID danger, Patel wanted them to deter people from assembling at vigils; she also pledged she would personally persuade people not to gather.
Organizers and police were unable to reach an agreement; The police had informed the organizers that the event would be regarded as an illegal gathering under COVID19 pandemic limitations, and the court declined to interfere in the police judgment. Edinburgh and Cardiff events have been officially canceled in favor of online events. Cambridge was also planning to go online. Several cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield, continued to hold vigils.
Vigil on Clapham Common
On March 13, a vigil for Everard was held on Clapham Common. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects in the early hours of the day. [132] Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was in attendance, according to Kensington Palace, who said she “remembers what it was like to roam about London at night before she was married.” She was later said to have written Everard’s family a personal letter expressing “her regret and condolences.”
Sisters Uncut, a direct action group, asked people to come “with your pain and your wrath.” By 18:00, a large crowd had gathered at the park’s bandstand to hear Sisters Uncut deliver speeches. Four people were arrested on charges of public intoxication and violating the Coronavirus Act 2020. The arrest of guests and trampling of the flowers they had strewn sparked popular outrage, as did the Metropolitan Police’s decision to disperse the gathering. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer described the police response as “very troubling,” while Boris Johnson expressed his “great worry” over the film.
The police actions and arrests were described by Mayor Khan as “neither suitable nor proportionate.” The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, has repeatedly called on Dick to quit. Dick declined to comment on the police response, dismissing the criticism. Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball stated the action was required because “hundreds of people were crammed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19,” and the Metropolitan Police Federation said 26 officers were assaulted.
