Wayne Couzens has entered a guilty plea to Sarah Everard's murder

[RickiTarr]

Thank goodness for that.

At least it spares the family a full trial.

I hope the sentence is a whole life tariff.

Something is fundamentally wrong if indecent exposure is being treated as a low priority crime. I thought it was established that flashing is often the start of a pattern of escalating sexual offending?

It does sound very likely that the police have failed in their duty wrt the indecent exposure. Hopefully that will be fully, and properly investigated. Her poor parents having to know that the police could have prevent WC ever being anywhere near Sarah.

Yes, that's how I read The Times report. I assume there had been a complaint to the police that a man had been exposing himself and someone was going to look into it at some point when other more urgent work was completed - maybe as a first step they'd got hold of CCTV footage from the restaurant but nobody had reviewed it. I find it hard to believe that someone had reviewed it, identified the perpetrator as a serving police office and done nothing about it. (I hope I'm right there.)

Presumably after he was arrested the Met started trawling their system for any other incidents he'd been involved in and this came up. Automatic image recognition?

I'd like to think they'd lock him up and throw away the key. Surely a serving police officer who commits an offence like this deserves to get a far longer sentence for the breach of trust and damage to public confidence, as well as the severity of the crime and the delay in admitting to it.

While I'm glad her family have been spared the trauma of a trial there have been a couple of cases near me where the men pleaded guilty and it was basically their twisted version of reality and a self absorbed pity party.

These men sicken me and they're more common than we think

@RickiTarr Not even just law abiding citizen to murderer, he was the Law, or upholding it. Despicable man. I would like to know his partner's involvement too...

Yes that’s my interpretation @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g but I suppose we will have to be patient about having that confirmed.

Yes true @babbaloushka

All sexual offences should be investigated as a matter of priority. However, there's so much for the Met and other police forces to do and not enough trained officers to do it. Also, political pressure to prioritise nonsense like following up 'hate speech' on social media which is in fact just stating a lawful opinion that happens to be upsetting to some people.

Just reported on the BBC news that 12 serving police officers have been served with notices of gross professional misconduct in relation to Wayne Couzens. Not clear whether it's to do with the Sarah Everard case or other matters prior to it.

I thought it was also found that he had been charged with domestic violence some years before but I might be misremembering

Several years ago I became aware of my neighbour across the road appearing to be lying on his bed watching me in my bedroom. (1st red flag) I was on my bed watching Tv, it was daytime so no curtains closed but I actually did get up and close the curtains. I couldn’t be sure he was watching me but I felt uncomfortable. It happened a few more times and I actually spoke to my friend about it as it was unnerving me. I moved shortly after that and a couple of months later this guy turned up at my new house with some phoney excuse about mail for the previous resident of his house (2nd red flag) and asked if he could come in for a minute (3rd red flag) for a cup of tea. (4th red flag) I’d only ever said hello to him across the road previously but I obliged (not with the tea though) and he told me he was sorry I moved house, and that he hoped it wasn’t because of him. I asked what he meant. And he said “well, because you knew I fancied you.” I said I had no idea. And he went on to say he thought I knew as he used to watch me in my bedroom (red flashing sirens going off everywhere) and that sometimes when I closed the curtains I would “leave a gap” for him to look through and that sometimes I didn’t close them and “let him look” so he thought I felt the same way about him. (He was married) he said he would watch me doing my make up and thought I was doing it for him. Anyway I told him to leave and called the police. They came out and basically told me just to close my curtains and he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was only when I told them he worked in the local leisure centre which had village style changing that he would have had unsupervised access to when they asked for his details. They said they’d have a word with him. That did not make me feel safe. Angry man outed for being a sleazy peeping Tom who knows where I live and the police tell me my curtains will protect me? Great.

They don’t take this shit seriously enough at all.

Also further breaking news:
news.sky.com/story/twelve-officers-investigated-by-police-watchdog-over-case-of-sarah-everards-killer-12352335

This is all so depressing

They have just completed a review into vawg and the police and customs have been found woefully inadequate. It was prompted by the Sarah Everard case. There is talk of approaching it like terrorism in future. Prevent something something prosecute. I'll see if I can find the article.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a74b4382-df52-11eb-ab4e-c25eb6444929?shareToken=eeabf0d5a0ed38d09e3756f0f612a3d0

He was linked to an indecent exposure way back in 2015, in Kent.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-wayne-couzens-indecent-exposure-b1881151.html%3famp

Just reported on the BBC news that 12 serving police officers have been served with notices of gross professional misconduct in relation to Wayne Couzens. Not clear whether it's to do with the Sarah Everard case or other matters prior to it.

Wow. This could blow up. What on Earth have they done?!

It is to do with their WhatsApping about the case. Gossiping about that poor young woman.

@MotionActivatedDog that’s absolutely horrendous!

@Ooodlesofboodles

It is to do with their WhatsApping about the case. Gossiping about that poor young woman.

Oh good grief. Endless worrying layers to this.

[quote MissChanandlerBong90]@x2boys

No, I don’t think he’d been charged. But I think the police have accepted they had the information to know it was him.

In most jobs if you were suspected of gross misconduct you’d be suspended on full pay pending an investigation.[/quote]
Yes particularly if it was a public service, I suppose it was just three days before Sarah went missing and I'm not condoning the police, but having worked for the NHS I know how slow the wheels in motion can be for investigation purposes.

@Ooodlesofboodles

It is to do with their WhatsApping about the case. Gossiping about that poor young woman.

Might also be to do with the failure to investigate the indecent exposure just before he kidnapped her?

Obviously he pled guilty knowing he’ll get a lesser sentence and not because he has any morals but I am glad he did.
It’s worrying how premeditated it was and that she was a stranger. Usually these crimes are committed by someone who knows the victim.

I keep thinking about his wife and kids.
It said that he got back into bed with his wife afterwards like nothing had happened. I wonder if he was living a complete double life or if she was afraid of him but had nowhere to turn because he was a police officer.

It is to do with their WhatsApping about the case. Gossiping about that poor young woman.

The might not have even been gossiping but could have been just discussing it and saying how bad it is and what evidence they have - which they’re not allowed to do as it could mess up the case.

What is also depressing is that this attitudinal and cultural issue of how the police treat women and VAWG and the experience of the criminal justice system has been known for decades. Helena Kennedy’s Eve Was Framed was published in 1993, when I was studying Law at university, specifically Jurisprudence and had a strong interest in where authorities had this defensive victim blaming reaction when they had done something wrong (Hillsborough, several famous miscarriages of justice, organised child abuse never being addressed, as examples). Closing ranks is still what happens when the police/a police officer does something wrong. There is no culture of learning lessons or wanting to change as far as I can see. Look at how whistleblowers are treated. Then you look at the stats for the poor charging and conviction rates for rape and DV and I wonder why society allows half the population to not just have no meaningful support from this public service but it actually cause them harm.

Wow. This could blow up. What on Earth have they done?!

Some of the charges relate to actions taken by officers who were on the cordon around the site where Sarah was found and also, it seems to suggest, sharing information regarding the investigation.

Regarding the Eastern European Gang lie, the part about him using prostitutes and in debt was true? If so, there are so many red flags flying around him it's beyond comprehension.

The scale of planning he did prior to his abhorrent crime is chilling and he knew full well the power of the Warrant Card he had in his possession. It is frightening that he was in the profession and position he was.

Helena Kennedy’s Eve Was Framed was published in 1993, when I was studying Law at university,

I just bought a new copy this week as I can’t find mine. (After I was reminded of Rachel Nickell and other cases.) I was looking around for more feminist critiques of the law. Any recommendations?