SARAH EVERARD - the search for Justice - Tue 5/3 - bbc 1 9pm

[Blondeshavemorefun]

this case always touches my heart as she was found quite local to me and I remember the searches 🥲

glad her family have the knowledge to help closure if that’s ever possible

The murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police Officer who abducted her as she walked home in March 2021 was a watershed moment for the nation.

It brought to the fore devastating issues within our police forces and highlighted the extent of violence against women and girls in our society - an issue recently declared a national priority alongside terrorism and organised crime.

This new documentary for BBC One and iPlayer looks at the Met’s investigation into Sarah’s murder, how this devastating crime unfolded and its impact.

Told by those closely involved in the case from the outset, many of whom are speaking on camera for the first time, including the Senior Investigating Officer, the Prosecuting Barrister and Sarah’s local MP.

Since Sarah’s murder, the narrative of ‘one bad apple’ has been destroyed. The force was placed in special measures and a major review of the Met Police found a culture of denial, widespread bullying, discrimination, institutional homophobia, misogyny and racism.

The repercussions continue to be far reaching, with police forces up and down the country forced to confront the culture and behaviour in their own ranks.

An Independent Inquiry launched by the Home Office is underway, to examine how this tragedy could happen, and, in the words of the then Home Secretary, the “unimaginable failures in policing” Sarah’s murder has exposed. Since Sarah's case, hundreds of police officers continue to face sexual assault allegations, including one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders, offending over a twenty-year career in the Metropolitan Police.

The film is being made by BBC Studios Documentary Unit. During the making of this film, the production team has been in close contact with Sarah’s parents. They hope that it will bring increased focus to issues of women’s safety, and abuse of power by police and other in positions of authority.

Emma Loach, BBC Lead Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, says: “The murder of Sarah Everard sent shock waves across the country and ignited an urgent conversation about police failings and violence against women and girls. This is an important and timely film and we, like Sarah’s family, hope it will contribute to the ongoing dialogue around the issues raised.”
Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice is a 1x60’ for BBC One and iPlayer, made by BBC Studios Documentary Unit.

It was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. The Executive Producers are Emily Lawson and Kirsty Cunningham, the Director is Lottie Gammon, the Producers are Clio Symington, Celia Jennison and Florence Barrow. The Archive Producer is Peter Scott. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Emma Loach.

FS
Note to editors
Sarah Everard’s family politely request no contact or interview requests are made.
We will not be featuring pictures of Wayne Couzens next to Sarah in the film, and in line with the family's wishes, we would ask that the press respects the same.

I’m just watching it on iplayer now. I don’t think a case has ever made me as angry as this one. Poor Sarah.

I'll be watching. I still think about Sarah a lot, she looks very much like a friend of mine so seeing her picture is a little jarring, it really just brings it home that it could have been me, my sister, my friends.

I remember I started watching The Fall not long after Sarah had been found and parts of it were so similar to what happened to her I had to stop watching for a while, I couldn't stop thinking about Sarah.

Sorry I haven't RTFT, does anyone know if Sarah's family were actively involved in the making of this programme or have given it there blessing? I can't even imagine how difficult it must be for them with even seeing the adverts for the programme.

Hi @baubletits it did say at the start that Sarah’s family were consulted throughout production.

The last shot just broke me.

RIP Sarah and wishing peace to her family and friends.

I watched this earlier. Such a disgusting case in so many ways.

So angry that he wasn’t dealt with much more harshly for his indecent exposure crimes. As someone who has been a victim of this sort of crime it’s just horrendous and so often leads to much more serious offences. People need to take it far more seriously.

I don't know if I'll watch. I feel so very angry just thinking about what has transpired about that beast Couzens and the culture which permitted, actually enabled, his criminality.

Lovely Sarah and her family and friends will be in my thoughts for ever. The thoughts don't even translate into words. Just a big lump in my throat

The footage of her standing by the car with him makes me want to weep and scream at the same time.

The evil, evil bastard.

It was a tough watch as the parent of a baby Daughter. As someone said at the beginning of the programme "every woman has walked with their keys in their hand". I'm tempted to give my child a keyring with a swiss army knife on it when she's old enough. We live in a world where if she's walking at night she will be able to be on the phone to me and I will be able to track her love location but it's just not enough is it. So, so terrifying. We should be able to teach our children to run towards the police, not away.

Watching this and so angry.

My DM up til recently was saying to me why was Sarah out walking at that time, why did she get into his car etc? And I got really angry with my mum as my mum normally doesn’t victim blame.

Even if she had someone who could have tracked her location the phone was switched off immediately.
such a sad and awful story.

If I had a daughter she’d get Mace. Stuff the fact its illegal. Men shouldn’t be allowed to attack women.

THIS! it makes me SO worried that I can't keep my child safe unless I'm standing next to her (possibly not even then).

This is one man whom I’d happily pull the lever to be hung or worse.

You don't want to scare them to death but yes, it's a tempting thought. All I can do is teach her to not put herself in obvious danger (alleyways etc.) but what about danger which isn't obvious! Sarah didn't stand a chance. Makes me feel sick.

Even if you do self defence sometimes if a man is physical stronger it won’t work.

My nana’s best friend did judo though and at age 70 a man approached her in a car park and she floored him. Good for her.

Ahahahahah! Good on her! I hope that taught him a lesson.

I'm not sure I can watch this 😢I was so affected by this case, it's an awful awful tragedy; my heart is broken for her family.

I know how you feel, I have 2 daughters and the more I see of the world the more I want them to stay little forever.

Just thinking of all the times I walked home alone late at night after a night, I'd feel sick to my stomach if my 2 were to do this.

I'm just watching this and the footage of him is so chilling I can barely look and have to keep pausing it. To know with his backstory that he was allowed to become and stay a police officer is scandalous. The McDonalds incident being properly followed up on could have prevented all of this surely. They knew it was him, those places have CCTV and they already had him as the suspect and yet he was still working!

Same! The things I used to do as a 19 year old. I can remember walking home from a night out in town at about 3am by myself to my parents house which was about 7 miles away! What on earth was I thinking?? I bet I had spent my taxi money on drinks. If my Daughter ever does that I will go ballistic 😂

You should be able to walk home late if yo want/need to. Thank god most people aren’t attackers.

The footage of her just walking home is horrific really...she was just doing what so many people do! And what she was entitled to do.

And the fact there was so many times this could've been prevented if properly investigated around the time and years before..

So so sad...and lessons aren't learnt and unless major changes don't think ever will be....the culture won't just go awau

I remember one night I stayed with a relative in the country, the kind of place where there’s only one bus an hour. I was picked up by a friend and we went out locally. I can’t quite recall what happened but we got lost during our night out, I couldn’t find her and didn’t know her friends and on leaving the pub I saw the one bus which I think was the last one and got it, culminating in a walk down dark country lanes when I got off it. When I got in, my relative was having kittens as about 9 months earlier a young woman had been attacked after walking back from that bus stop. She didn’t tell me as she assumed I was getting a lift and didn’t want to scare me. I was 18. Sends shivers down my spine now.

I still walk home late at night on my own @baubletits - the chances of something like this happening are small and I won’t give in to fear.

This is so sad to watch, she should have been able to walk home safely. This should never have been allowed to happen. There was knowledge about this absolute monster and it just wasn’t acted on. It’s not fucking good enough.

I live in London, always have and I regularly go for walks, alone at night. It's something I've done since being a teen, I love the city when its so quiet, and yes, lots of women already think I'm mad. I've always tried to not let the fear inhibit me, and to be fair, 99% of my walks pass without issue but cases like this come up it feels like they're all out to get you.

It's harrowing and then he's just sat there in his fucking lounge like nothing happened. Sickening.

I was very affected by this case too. The documentary didn’t tell me much I didn’t already know as i have read widely around the case but it was interesting to see the effort to bring him to justice. Also that weird footage when they interviewed him after he had self harmed & he was just sort of rocking & swaying. It’s horrifying to think what Sarah went through, for ages I had fantasies about walking past at the same time & helping her get away. It must be unbearable for her family who have been so dignified. RIP Sarah.