LAST UPDATE | 6 Mar 2023
WAYNE COUZENS HAS been sentenced to 19 months in prison after admitting three incidents of indecent exposure committed in the months before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.
The former Metropolitan Police officer, 50, is already serving a whole life jail sentence for the murder of Ms Everard, 33.
In March 2021, Couzens, then a serving officer, abducted marketing executive Sarah Everard as she walked home in south London.
Following his conviction, Couzens, formerly from Deal in Kent, was charged with multiple counts of indecent exposure.
A claim by his legal team that he could not face a fair trial due to publicity around Ms Everard’s murder was dismissed by a senior judge.
Following Couzens sentencing today, a senior member of the Met Police issued an apology for not catching him before the murder of Ms Everard.
In February, Couzens plead guilty at the Old Bailey to three counts of indecent exposure.
Today, Couzens appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link from Frankland Prison to be sentenced for those offences by Justice Juliet May.
The incidents took place in woodland and at a fast food restaurant in Kent between November 2020 and February 2021.
On 13 November 2020, he stepped out of a woodland in Deal, Kent, naked and masturbated as a woman cycled past.
Justice May said: “She was scared and shaken, and could do nothing but cycle past, up the hill, as fast as she was able.”
The woman noticed a black car parked 50m further on and recalled a partial number plate.
She warned away some walkers before calling her husband to tell him what had happened at about 1.40pm.
Traffic cameras and cell site data located Couzens in his Seat in that country area at that time.
A few months later, on different occasions on 14 and 27 February 2021, Couzens exposed his genitals to staff at a drive-thru fast food restaurant in Kent.
He sat in his car and looked straight at them as he showed his erect penis while handing his card to pay for food.
The senior judge said: “The female staff were shaken, upset and angry.”
On the last occasion, staff took a registration number and identified the car from CCTV as a black Seat which was registered to Couzens.
A credit card in his name was used to pay while ANPR and cell site data was used to track the defendant’s car in the area at the time of the incidents.
Couzens had denied three other indecent exposure charges relating to an alleged incident in June 2015, one between 22 January and 1 February 2021, and one between 30 January and 6 February 2021.
An independent inquiry led by Scottish lawyer Elish Angiolini will consider Couzens’ earlier sexual offending and whether opportunities were missed to stop him before he murdered Ms Everard.
Mrs Justice May paid tribute to the victims of Couzens as she sentenced him.
She told the Old Bailey that Couzens was already serving a whole life jail term for the kidnap, rape and killing of Ms Everard.
The senior judge said the sentencing for indecent exposure also served as “public recognition” of the fact of the offences and the impact on the victims, and “their courage and resilience” in coming forward.
She highlighted the victims’ statements which recounted the impact of Couzens’ “selfish, sexually aggressive acts”.
The judge said: “The fact that no police came to find him or his black car to question him about these incidents can only have served to confirm and strengthen in the defendant’s mind a dangerous belief in his invincibility, in his power sexually to dominate and abuse women without being stopped.”
Following the sentencing, Detective Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy apologised and told the PA news agency that Couzens actions should make everyone in policing “hang their heads in shame”.
“I am deeply sorry for everything that the victims of Wayne Couzens have had to go through,” Cundy said.
“The hurt and trauma that I’ve read in their victim impact statements and that came out in court is something that should make every single one of us in policing hang our heads in shame in terms of what they had to go through.
“We have made changes but I still believe there’s more that we can do because we need to take seriously all forms of violence against women and girls, and that does include exposure offences.
“So, if somebody was to report an offence to the Metropolitan Police now, all of those offences will be investigated by CID officers. They weren’t a few years ago.”
Cundy, who leads the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards, said: “Like so many, I wish he had been arrested for these offences before he went on to kidnap, rape and murder Sarah Everard and I am sorry that he wasn’t.
“The fact he did all of this while serving as a police officer is something that brings shame on myself and all of us who swore an oath to protect those communities that we serve.
“But today my thoughts in particular are with all those that Wayne Couzens targeted, and, of course, Sarah Everard’s family.”
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