The BBC's new documentary, Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice recounts the horrific murder of Sarah Everard who was kidnapped and killed on March 3rd 2021 by police officer Wayne Couzens.
The hour-long episode follows the timeline of Sarah's murder and the events leading up to Wayne Couzens, a member of the Metropolitan Police force, killing an innocent woman who was simply walking home.
The documentary reveals body camera footage and interviews with key investigators from the case who were pivotal in uncovering the truth. Here's what you need to know about Wayne Couzens's and how long he'll spend in prison.
Where is Wayne Couzens now?
Wayne Couzens is currently in prison serving a whole life order at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham. Initially, he was incarcerated at HMP Belmarsh in London, but was later relocated to Durham.
HM Prison Frankland has been nicknamed 'Monster Mansion' due to the large number of murderers, rapists and terrorists who are imprisoned there including Ian Huntley and David Copeland. Former inmates include Harold Shipman and Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper.
How long is Wayne Couzens prison sentence?
In September 2021, Couzens was sentenced to a whole life sentence. His appeal against this was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2022 and whilst in prison he has been subsequently charged with four counts of indecent exposure.
A full life sentence means that Wayne Couzens will die in prison and will likely never be released. At the time of the sentencing, Lord Justice Fulford explained that the severity of his abuse of power was what warranted the severe sentence.
The judge called his actions, "warped, selfish and brutal offending that was both sexual and homicidal". Adding, "Sarah Everard was a wholly blameless victim of a grotesquely executed series of circumstances that culminated in her death and the disposal of her body. She was simply walking home."
Nick Harvey, Detective Inspector in the Sarah Everard documentary
Was Wayne Couzens married?
Wayne Couzens is married to a Ukrainian woman named Olena, with whom he has two children. Per the Evening Standard, Olena told the Daily Mail, "I saw nothing wrong. He had a beautiful family, a good house… what else did he need? I’m constantly asking myself ‘where I did miss the signs?’ How on earth could this have happened?"
During Couzens's sentencing, Lord Justice Fulford mentioned his wife and children. "Your wife and children, who on all the evidence, are entirely blameless will have to live with the ignominy of your dreadful crimes for the rest of their lives," he said.
In the documentary, body camera footage revealed that Couzens told the arresting officers that he kidnapped Sarah to save his family. He said he was in "financial shit" and was being blackmailed by a gang to kidnap a woman and drop her off at an undisclosed location. This later proved to be completely false.
Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice will aired on BBC One on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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