London cop Wayne Couzens and the woman he killed
Agency Report
A London police officer, Wayne Couzens appeared in court on Saturday for the first time after being charged with murder of 33 year-old Sarah Everard.
The case has triggered widespread concern in Britain about women’s safety.
Couzens, 48, faced a charge of kidnap and murder of Everard.
The lady disappeared on the night of March 3 while walking home in south London after visiting a friend.
Everard’s remains were found on Wednesday in woodland around 50 miles away in southeast England.
Her killing has brought an outpouring of personal accounts from women of their own experiences and fears of walking streets alone at night.
The tragedy also triggered and calls for action.
Couzens, wearing a grey tracksuit, spoke only to confirm his identity at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court and remains in custody.
His lawyer did not enter a plea to the charges before a fuller court hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
Couzens joined London’s Metropolitan Police in 2018 and guarded foreign embassies before his arrest.
Campaigners had planned a vigil to commemorate Everard to take place on Saturday evening near where she disappeared.
However, organisers cancelled the vigil on Saturday morning.
This followed police warning that they could risk arrest for breaching COVID restrictions on outdoor social gatherings.
“In light of the lack of constructive engagement from the Metropolitan Police, we do not feel that we can in good faith allow tonight’s event to go ahead,” organisers from the group Reclaim These Streets said in a statement.
