Sarah Everard case: Metropolitan Police faces investigation over response to indecent exposure allegation

A serving police officer remains in custody after being detained on suspicion of Ms Everard’s murder and kidnap, and a separate allegation of indecent exposure
Daniel O'Mahony12 March 2021
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The police watchdog has launched a probe into how two Metropolitan Police officers responded to allegations of indecent exposure linked to the case of Sarah Everard

The Met received a report that a man had exposed himself at a fast food restaurant in south London on February 28 — three days before the 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared.

A serving police officer, understood to be Wayne Couzens, 48, remains in custody after being detained on suspicion of Ms Everard’s murder and kidnap, and a separate allegation of indecent exposure. Police have been granted more time to question him.

Last night, the force made a voluntary referral to Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the conduct of two officers. The IOPC confirmed that the referral was connected to the arrest of a serving Met officer on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard.

A separate probe investigation will look at the actions of police after they received a report of Ms Everard’s disappearance. The Durham graduate vanished on March 3 after setting off at about 9pm to walk home from a friend’s house in Clapham Common to her home in Brixton.

In a statement the watchdog said: “The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has started an independent investigation into whether Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers responded appropriately to a report of indecent exposure.

“The IOPC’s investigation follows a conduct referral from the MPS in relation to two officers, received last night, which is linked to four other referrals.

They are all connected to the arrest of a serving MPS officer on suspicion of kidnap, murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

BRITAIN-POLICE-MURDER-ARREST
Sarah Everard
METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Gett

“Our investigation will look at the actions of the MPS after police received a report on 28 February (2021) that a man had exposed himself at a fast food restaurant in South London.”

The IOPC said that two referrals about the conduct of the arrested officer, who was held at his home in Deal on Tuesday, should remain under investigation by Scotland Yard.

A fifth mandatory referral is also being assessed after it emerged that the arrested officer had sustained a head injury in custody on Wednesday which required hospital treatment.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Following the arrest of a police officer, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) made two referrals, one mandatory and one voluntary, to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). 

“These were linked to the conduct of the officer arrested on suspicion of kidnap, murder and indecent exposure.

“The IOPC has determined both these matters should be locally investigated by the MPS.

“We also made a mandatory referral in relation to the actions of police after Sarah was reported missing. We await the IOPC’s assessment.

“A further voluntary referral was made for a conduct matter in relation to the police investigation into the separate allegations of indecent exposure. The IOPC have determined this will be subject to an independent IOPC investigation.

“We have made another mandatory referral to the IOPC after the man arrested was taken to a hospital for treatment to a head injury sustained while in custody in a cell alone. He was being monitored by CCTV and received immediate first aid. We await the IOPC’s assessment.

“We are offering every assistance to the IOPC.”

The arrested officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was treated for a head injury sustained while in custody on Thursday. He was later discharged and returned to the police station where he is being held.

The Met later said he had sustained the injury while alone in his cell and received immediate first aid.

The family of Ms Everard have also paid tribute to their “bright and beautiful” 33-year-old after police searching for the missing executive found human remains in woodland in Kent.

A woman in her 30s, who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April, police said.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in