Anyone follow the coverage of the Sarah Everard case today and want to vent?

[HangingOver]

I'm home alone today and except for whatsapping my friends have nothing to do with this incandescent rage and hopeless sadness.

Anyone else need to talk?

And I'm fed up of reading that WC was a monster. He wasn't a monster, he was a man.

This and the whole post re enabling it struck a cord with me too.

Hearing the mother’s statement on radio has such impact.

Claudethecat
DoraMaude I don't entirely agree. Men must take some collective responsibility for the fact that women are routinely murdered, raped, sexually assaulted, beaten up, harassed

That's unfair. Is your father responsible? Your brother? Your son?

If they join. in, or stand by silent while other men "banter" about rape, domestic violence, treating women like slabs of meat, laugh at jokes or otherwise contribute to the deeply sexist culture that men have created, yes.
If, like some fathers, they refuse to allow their sons to cry or to play with dolls because thats for girls, yes.
And so on and so on.

Agree re: Monster/Evil and any other kind of 'supernatural' label.

He is a fucking misogynistic, raping, self serving, perverted, murdering cunt. Not some other-worldly being who has no say in his pre-ordained behaviour.

Yes @Leaveitonthefloordrobe and @brokenbiscuitsx

There was something about the press labelling him ‘evil’ that I grossly dislike and I was trying to verbalise what it was. I think it sits alongside your points re the dehumanisation of him. Evil is an adjective used to describe a Disney villain or a movie baddie. He’s not a cartoon character. He is a father and son and husband and he chose to do this to Sarah.

So devastating for her family.

Thinking of them.

Look up articles in your local press. And the national press. Not a week goes by without an officer or two resigning before they could be fired for inappropriate or illegal behaviour. They may not all be as evil as Wayne Couzens, but we have to ask what kind of selection process is being run to recruit these kinds of psychopaths.

DH had a best friend who was a Met officer. Until he went on a stag weekend. DH was one of only 3 who weren't in the force and they were horrified at the constant sexist, racist boorish behaviour. DH has cut his ex best friend from his life. It's endemic and rotten.

Sarah, you were a good, kind person. You thought you were doing the right thing. This is not your fault. You and your family don't deserve this pain.

@EmmaGrundyForPM

The victim impact statements are heartbreaking. Her family have to go through this every day, knowing that she would have been absolutely terrified. And not to know if she was still alive when she was set on fire is even more horrendous, if that's possible.

I think the fact that he was so blatant that his colleagues (not known for their anti-sexism stance on the whole) called him The Rapist shows how he felt he could get away with despicable behaviour which escalated into serial assault and then on to rape and murder.

My heart goes out to Sarah and her family

The very fact that "The Rapist" was considered an acceptable nickname among his peers tells me that the whole fucking force is steeped in institutional misogyny.

I'd love to know what female officers made of this. Were they so gaslighted that they thought this was ok? Afraid to speak out for fear of being "that woman"?

In all the 49 years that I've been working, I've never worked in an environment where that would be acceptable, not even back in the 70s.

I agree @Badgercity. It’s just so overwhelming knowing where to begin!

I was disgusted by the ex Officer on TV saying the police didn’t see him as a police officer. This is absolutely part of the problem. He was a police officer. It seems to be clear from his nickname that there were suspicions about him internally. He had been reported for indecent exposure twice but hadn’t even been suspended let alone sacked and prosecuted. Is there any sort of inquiry going on as to why he wasn’t sacked and prosecuted when he was first reported for indecent exposure in, I think, 2015?

I can’t stand to look at the photos of the man as he makes me feel physically sick.

I dont want to vent. Im just really really sad for her. Her picture just looked liked a really sweet girl with a good heart. To think someone like that was brutalised in such a horrific manner makes my blood run cold. And her family having to live with the loss of her and the knowledge of how she died. Its all utterly heartbreaking. I cant even think of him, he is a stain on humanity. I hope he has years in prison of absolute torture.

@Caffeinefirst

I was disgusted by the ex Officer on TV saying the police didn’t see him as a police officer. This is absolutely part of the problem. He was a police officer. It seems to be clear from his nickname that there were suspicions about him internally. He had been reported for indecent exposure twice but hadn’t even been suspended let alone sacked and prosecuted. Is there any sort of inquiry going on as to why he wasn’t sacked and prosecuted when he was first reported for indecent exposure in, I think, 2015?

I can’t stand to look at the photos of the man as he makes me feel physically sick.

I agree. He was a police officer. They can be disgusted at his behaviour, of course, and say he was a disgrace to the force, which he was. But they have to accept that not only was he a police officer, but he used his role to trick someone into submission and commit one of the most horrific crimes I have heard of. You can not separate the two. By distancing themselves, they are refusing to take action to try to prevent this happening again. Where is their outrage? Where are their statements saying what immediate action they are taking to make people feel, and be, safer? Nope, just total denial.

Just so terribly sad hearing about this case TBH. Sarah was a lovely young woman with her whole life ahead of her .Her poor family esp her Mum. Just unbearable to watch and hear what happened to her . How can it be possible that a young female walking home alone could be killed in such a terrible way .

Re the discussions calling him a monster/evil etc. When he was just a man. I remember in one of the Adams family movies, the young girl with pigtails (Wednesday?)is going to a Halloween party. She appears ready to go but she's not dressed up or changed clothes or anything. Her mum Morticia says to her but what are you going as darling? She replies, a psychopath, they look like you and me.

Just seen on BBC news site that Cousens may face a whole life sentence . This is life without Parole .Seems some justice may be done here .Obv nothing will bring Sarah back ,but at least he will be behind bars for good and not free at some later date to hurt anyone else .

@Duchess379

I'm a retired police officer & I'm absolutely mortified at this cretin! We should seriously bring back hanging. Just when we thought public confidence in the police couldn't get any lower, Couzens strikes, terrifying most women in the UK. For what it's worth, police officers hate him as much as you do. I hope he gets a good seeing to in prison. Absolute a-hole 😠

Shame they didn't hate him enough to do something about the indecent exposure, or flag concerns about his predilection for violent porn, and gave him the nickname "The Rapist", then.

Their collective failure to do anything has not only led to an appalling crime, but destroyed what little faith many women had of the Met ever being able to deal appropriately with VAWG.

How Cressida Dick has the sheer brass neck to put her uniform on in the morning I have no idea.

[quote worriedatthemoment]@Pumperthepumper yes i do see the difference but I also see an increase in womens crimes as well , which is also worrying and crimes committed by children.
I see society getting worse in general
Maybe its all just reported more so seems worse .
[/quote]
What have violent crimes committed by men got to do with female crime? Absolutely nothing.

We are talking about crimes against women, committed by men. Men use vile misogynistic language, harrass, spy on, touch inappropriately, sexually assault, hit, punch, control, rape and murder women every single day. And you want to talk about female criminality? Really?

@Caffeinefirst

I was disgusted by the ex Officer on TV saying the police didn’t see him as a police officer. This is absolutely part of the problem. He was a police officer. It seems to be clear from his nickname that there were suspicions about him internally. He had been reported for indecent exposure twice but hadn’t even been suspended let alone sacked and prosecuted. Is there any sort of inquiry going on as to why he wasn’t sacked and prosecuted when he was first reported for indecent exposure in, I think, 2015?

I can’t stand to look at the photos of the man as he makes me feel physically sick.

Yes, if he had been prosecuted for his previous crimes then there's a reasonable chance Sarah would still be alive. We need to say this.

Men are not prosecuted for crimes like indecent exposure, rape is basically legal given the woeful prosecution rates. Men like this are enabled and enabled until they think they can get away with anything. The police are complicit.

Court is in session. The defence will argue for approximately 30 mins as to why WC shouldn’t spend his whole life in prison.

The judge will then return his verdict at around midday.

*verdict = Sentence, apologies

Jim Sturman QC has started his mitigation in defence of Wayne Couzens.

He tells the Old Bailey: "Nothing I say is meant to minimise the horror of what the defendant did that night."

Mr Sturman said that he has offered no excuse for what he did.

He added: "Accepts that he will receive a harsh sentence... he is filled with self-loathing and abject shame - and he should be."

There is little mitigation, the lawyer said. But "the battle ground is whether it should be full life sentence".

“ Sturman says he had no previous convictions and appeared to be living a law-abiding life. His colleagues described him as "friendly and calm" ”

His colleagues described him as The Rapist. Fucking hell.

For what it's worth, police officers hate him as much as you do. I hope he gets a good seeing to in prison.

You're a retired police officer and you're promoting the idea that rape in prison is a good thing? That tells us everything.

Shame they didn't hate him enough to do something about the indecent exposure, or flag concerns about his predilection for violent porn, and gave him the nickname "The Rapist", then.

I agree. The fact that he had that nickname shows what the culture is like. Rape is treated as a joke by the police, misogyny is a cause for 'bantz' rather than disapproval. Every single colleague who used that nickname and every single colleague who recognised his misogyny but turned a blind eye should be stripped of their badge, but they won't be. It's not one bad apple, it's the whole culture of the institution.

@Badgercity

Jim Sturman QC has started his mitigation in defence of Wayne Couzens.

He tells the Old Bailey: "Nothing I say is meant to minimise the horror of what the defendant did that night."

Mr Sturman said that he has offered no excuse for what he did.

He added: "Accepts that he will receive a harsh sentence... he is filled with self-loathing and abject shame - and he should be."

There is little mitigation, the lawyer said. But "the battle ground is whether it should be full life sentence".

I find it hard to believe someone who could do that would feel shame.

@IfImLyingImDying

I tell my girls that if they’re scared and in trouble they find a police officer. They should always trust the police.

Never again. From now on, if a police officer approaches them they are to ask for a second officer and never go with them without knowing exactly what’s going on.

My SIL said the same to me last night.

She's now wondering if she should be telling her that if she's alone and approached by a lone male police officer, she should ring 999 and check that that officer, with that badge number, is actually on duty and is who he says he is.

Wtf has this country come to, when we can''t trust those who should be protecting us and upholding the law not to rape and murder us? And how many more hate-filled, angry misogynists are there in our police forces? It's clearly culturally acceptable in the Met, so probably in other forces, too.