Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
Women everywhere will never forget Sarah Everard, or the tragic end that she suffered at the hands of a serving Metropolitan police officer, Wayne Couzens, who raped and murdered her.
The marketing executive, 33, was walking home in Clapham, London, on 3 March 2021 when she was kidnapped by Couzens, who had identified himself as a police officer, handcuffed her and placed her in his car.
Tragically, her body was discovered nine days later dumped in woodland in Kent.
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Couzens is currently serving a whole life order for her murder.
Everard's murder reignited conversations surrounded women’s safety, or lack thereof, and encouraged people to think about what more could be done to protect us.
"I don’t think the incidences of violence against women and girls are reducing"
Despite the brutality of Couzens' crimes, the conversations gradually came to a close and women weren’t really left feeling any safer at all.
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Last night, the incredibly heartbreaking and damning documentary Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice aired, revealing the moment it was discovered the man the police were pursuing was one of their own.
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin recalls the 'shock' of telling her boss 'you're not going to believe this', during the documentary.
She said: “Whilst Nick and his team were running on blue lights to, to get some control over the address, one of my detective sergeants came running into the office and said, ‘We need to shut the door. You need to hear this’
"All the colour just ran out of his face"
“He then put one of our researchers on speaker phone and she said, ‘He’s a police officer. He’s a serving officer in the Met. He currently works for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Group’."
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Meanwhile, arresting officer Nick Harvey spoke of the moment they turned up at his door: “We knocked on the door. Actually, he opened it. I just put my foot straight into the door. I showed him my warrant card and he just went grey. Just... all the colour just ran out of his face."
Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice exposes that there were many opportunities for Couzens to be stopped, apprehended, investigated or charged - yet he was not.
He had been reported for flashing women, yet no action had been taken. He had also been nicknamed ‘The Rapist’ at a previous job.
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The prosecuting barrister of Couzens’ case, Tom Little, commented: “I don’t think the incidences of violence against women and girls is reducing or decreasing in any way. In fact, it would appear to me that it’s getting worse.”
"Shocking and compelling viewing"
The documentary has had a profound effect on viewers, with one commenter taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: “This BBC #SarahEverard documentary is absolutely heartbreaking. I’m in floods of tears at what she must have felt in that car, appalled at failings of the police and furious that male-perpetrated violence against women remains an ongoing issue that society are desensitised to.”
Another replied: “I’m in floods of tears too.”
A third viewer expressed their heartbreak: “The Sarah Everard documentary on the BBC is extremely powerful and even more heartbreaking. As International Women’s Day approaches it re shines a light on the tragedy of Sarah’s passing and the ongoing violence perpetrated against women and girls. She was just walking home.”
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Another echoed: “The BBC programme last night into the Sarah Everard murder was shocking and compelling viewing. And very disturbing over the numbers of sexual abuse and rape women suffer every day in the UK by men. Not investigated by the police."
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Sarah Everard, Documentaries, BBC, TV And Film, Entertainment