Who was Sarah Everard? All about murder of London woman that brought UK Police under fire

The murder of a 33-year-old marketing executive from South London, Sarah Everard, who had gone missing and was allegedly killed, has sparked a national outcry in the UK over the safety of women. While British Prime Minister Borish Johnson assured that "I will do everything to make sure the streets are safe", a recent footage of police officers manhandling women protestors triggered rage among people. Johnson and his fiance as well as Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon lit candles to pay tribute to Everard on March 13.

Johnson said, “I cannot imagine how unbearable their pain and grief is. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime,” adding, “I will do everything I can to make sure the streets are safe and ensure women and girls do not face harassment or abuse.”

Who was Sarah Everard?

Sarah Everard was a 33-year-old marketing executive from South London who was last captured while walking through Clapham neighborhood on March 3, around 9:30 at night. She was last seen on doorbell-camera footage while leaving a friend’s house and a massive hunt was launched to track her which lead to the arrest of a police officer after human remains were located in a neighboring county. The remains were identified as Everard's, police confirmed in a tweet on March 12 and charged one officer with her murder.

What happened to Sarah Everard?

After Sarah left her friend's home, she reportedly spoke to her boyfriend over phone for about 15 minutes while walking and he reported to police after she failed to show up the next day. On March 5, Police sought public's help in locating her as they tweeted that they were "increasingly concerned" about her whereabouts. Later, the police circulated her picture from the CCTV footage as her family reportedly said "it is totally out of character for her to disappear like this.” 

Who has police arrested in the Sarah Everard case?

Further, the police searched about 750 houses and widened their inquest to the county of Kent, as per a report. On March 9, two people were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of Everard.  The police made two arrests on the late night of March 9 and a Met officer was taken into custody in suspicion of kidnapping and murder. A woman in her 30s was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. The officer charged in the case has been identified as a serving police constable Wayne Couzens. 

“This is a serious and significant development in our search for Sarah and the fact that the man who’s been arrested is a serving Metropolitan police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing,” Met assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave said while announcing the arrest at midnight.

What's next in the investigation?

The police informed in a press release that Couzens appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on March 13 and "he is next due to appear at the Old Bailey on March 16". The woman who was arrested on the same night "has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April." The investigation is currently being led by Specialist Crime Command detectives. Meanwhile, the UK police have come under fire for a crackdown on vigil after a video of cops mishandling protesters went viral.

"The investigation continues and is being led by Specialist Crime Command detectives who are drawing on expertise and skills from hundreds of colleagues across the Met. They are also being supported by Kent Police," police said in the press release.