Sarah Everard: London police appoints welfare expert to head inquiry

Louise Casey, an independent adviser on welfare who sits in Britain’s upper house of parliament, will lead a review into how a British police officer was able to use his position to abduct Sarah Everard from a London street before raping and murdering her.

Last week, Wayne Couzens was sentenced to life in prison after using his position as a police officer to stop marketing executive Sarah Everard as she walked home and then rape and kill her, in a case that shocked Britain.

Interior minister Priti Patel said earlier this week she would launch an inquiry into the case, and on Friday London’s Metropolitan police said Casey would lead it.

“The appointment of Baroness Casey to lead the independent review in to our culture and standards is an important step in our journey to rebuild public trust,” Commissioner Cressida Dick said in a statement.

How Sarah Everard’s ‘sickening’ kidnap, rape and murder unfolded

British police officer Wayne Couzens, kidnapped Sarah Everard as she walked home, falsely arresting her on the pretence of breaching coronavirus restrictions, before raping and murdering her.

The disappearance of Sarah Everard during a national lockdown in March was one of Britain’s most high-profile missing person investigations and sparked protests and a debate about women’s safety on the streets.

Wayne Couzens, 48, who served with the elite diplomatic protection unit of London’s Metropolitan Police, admitted her kidnapping, rape and murder in July.