UK authorities to investigate ‘systemic failures’ in Sarah Everard case

The British government is launching an independent inquiry into “systemic failures” by London Metropolitan Police after one of its former officers used his police ID to falsely arrest Sarah Everard before raping and murdering her.

Former Officer Wayne Couzens was sentenced to life in prison without parole last week for the rape and murder of the 33-year-old Everard, after he handcuffed and detained her on the false pretense that she had “violated pandemic restrictions.”

British Home Security Priti Patel said Tuesday the public has “a right to know” why Couzens remained in Metropolitan Police despite prior concerns about his conduct. 

“I can confirm today there will be an inquiry, to give the independent oversight needed, to ensure something like this can never happen again,” Patel said. 

Everard’s abduction caused uproar in the United Kingdom and beyond over the summer. Vigils were held throughout the U.K. in her memory, including one attended by the duchess of Cambridge. The hashtag #ReclaimTheNight also trended on Twitter, while police clashed with protesters at a protest of the same name.

Patel said there would be two components of the investigation into “systemic failures” by the Metropolitan Police.

The first would examine Couzens’s behavior and thoroughly vet the various complaints raised against him leading up to Everard’s murder, while the second would address police-specific issues such as standards, discipline and workplace behaviors. 

Although the precise nature of this inquiry remains unclear, Jamie Klingler, a co-founder of Reclaim the Streets, said it appeared too narrowly focused on Couzens. 

“It seems really specific about Wayne Couzens and not about the system that allowed a Wayne Couzens to happen,” she told the BBC. 

“It’s not admitting that there is systemic misogyny within the force that allowed this to happen, and by not doing so it’s pushing it under the carpet rather than exposing [it] at all levels,” she added.