Mother of Sarah Everard 'still haunted' by daughter's final hours

Susan Everard, the mother of Sarah Everard, has revealed that she continues to be haunted by the trauma of her daughter's last moments before her tragic death. In March 2021, 33-year-old Sarah was abducted, raped, and murdered by Wayne Couzens, a serving officer of the Metropolitan Police.

In a foreword to a recent inquiry focused on improving women's safety and preventing violent attacks, Susan described experiencing a mix of "sadness, rage, panic, guilt, and numbness." She explained, "I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her, I can't get past the horror of her last hours."

The Angiolini Inquiry was established following Sarahs death to examine how Couzens was able to commit his crimes, as well as to investigate broader issues related to policing and the safety of women. Speaking at the latest stage of the inquiry, Susan Everard reflected on the devastating impact of her daughter's loss:

"All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and from us there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no family celebrations with everyone there. Sarah will always be missing, and I will always long for her."

Wayne Couzens lured Sarah into believing she was being arrested for breaking lockdown rules while walking home from a friends house in south London. Couzens, who had been a police officer for nearly two decades and had previously exposed himself indecently, is now serving a whole life sentence.

Part two of the inquiry, scheduled for publication next year, will assess whether failures identified in the first phasesuch as inadequate police vetting, cultural issues within the force, and mishandling of sexual offence reportscould happen again. A third phase will examine the crimes of David Carrick, another Met officer sentenced to 36 life terms in 2023 for serial sexual offenses.

Susan Everards full statement conveys the depth of her grief:

"I read that you shouldn't let a tragedy define you, but I feel that Sarah's death is such a big part of me that I'm surprised there is no outer sign of it, no obvious mark of grief. I have been changed by it, but there is nothing to see. Outwardly we live our normal lives, but there is an inner sadness. People who do know are unfailingly kind and have helped more than they will ever know.

We are not the only ones to lose a child, of course, and we form a sad bond with other bereaved parents. After four years, the shock of Sarah's death has diminished but we are left with an overwhelming sense of loss and of what might have been.

All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and from us there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no family celebrations with everyone there. Sarah will always be missing and I will always long for her. I go through a turmoil of emotions sadness, rage, panic, guilt and numbness. They used to come all in one day but as time goes by they are more widely spaced and, to some extent, time blunts the edges.

I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her, I can't get past the horror of her last hours. I am still tormented by the thought of what she endured. We find we still appreciate the lovely things of life, but, without Sarah, there is no unbridled joy. And grief is unpredictable it sits there quietly only to rear up suddenly and pierce our hearts. They say that the last stage of grief is acceptance. I am not sure what that means. I am accustomed to Sarah no longer being with us, but I rage against it."

The inquiry has emphasized that Couzens should never have been allowed to serve as a police officer, and a related report highlighted that a quarter of police forces lack fundamental policies regarding sexual offences.

Author: Riley Thompson