Officer Couzens made up law and handcuffed Sarah Everard before murder

Sick Police officer should never have had a uniform.

A court heard how Wayne Couzens handcuffed and falsely arrested Sarah everard before he raped and strangled her.

Wayne Couzens, 48, was a serving PC with the Metropolitan Police had pleaded guilty to the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard – he will be sentenced during a two-day hearing at the Old Bailey.

He used his position to arrest and abduct 33yr old marketing executive Ms Everard as she walked home in Clapham, south London, on the evening of 3 March, possibly by falsely invoking COVID lockdown rules.

Evidence including a fragment of a SIM card and a blood stain in Couzens’ car linked him to the crimes

Sky news: Details of his lifestyle and dating profile emerge – as court hears he bought drinks from a petrol station after the murder and later took his family to the site he burned his victim’s body in a fridge.

Institutional misogyny ‘erodes women’s trust in UK police’. Officers and campaigners say progress has been made but there is still toxic masculinity in forces.

Ms Everard’s family told the court about the “unbearable” suffering they have been through.

Her father, Jeremy, said his daughter’s murder is on his mind “all the time”, while her sister Katie broke down in tears and said Couzens had “fly-tipped” Sarah “like she meant nothing”.

The crime involved “significant” planning and Ms Everard was alive for hours before being raped and murdered, prosecutor Tom Little QC said.

Bodycam footage has been released showing Wayne Couzens saying he was threatened by a gang in order to get him to kidnap Sarah Everard. He later pleaded guilty to her kidnap, rape and murder.

Met police have responded: We are sickened, angered and devastated by this man’s crimes which betray everything we stand for.

Our thoughts are with Sarah’s family and her many friends. It is not possible for us to imagine what they are going through.

We recognise his actions raise many questions and concerns but we will not be commenting further until the hearing is complete.