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 don't think it's too much to ask for police to be vetted properly. I assumed they already were before this so it's a revelation to me that they're not.
Thinking of Sarah's family today after this has all been in the news again.

The mcdonalds incident

I work in a drive thou mcdonalds and I cannot tell you how many men come through,penis exposed,wanking,pulling their penis out (god knows why-im not going to admire it) and on one occasion,a young lady giving a blow job to a bloke old enough to be her dad-both grinning away at me

It was only the other day,I took a click and serve out and he had the biggest rip in the crotch of his jeans-no pants-i saw the lot

In the dining area,I've had men wanking at tables,men having a tug in the toilets (I've tried to refuse going in the men's but to no avail-i have an agreement with colleagues that we go in together or the male colleagues go in) men having sex in the toliets,men trying to touch me up and been violent

They don't care there are cameras,and we flim them/their reg numbers-nothing happens

The police couldn't be less interested at all-its seen as 'one of those things when working with the public'

It's certainly not every shift but it's enough

@Sharontheodopolodous

Same.. I've always worked in retail and for a big chunk of my life that was in South London. I was 16 the first time this happened to me, putting out stock in Primark and a man walked up to me pulled down his pants and started wanking.
I'm now 41 and the last time it happened was outside Aldi during covid. It's happened at least 10 times to me. mainly at work so CCTV would have captured. I've reported to the police every time, they looked bored shitless and it's never been followed up.

You know I'm 42, I've been raped, sexually harrased (I've had a thread when I was sexually harrased asking MNetters for their invaluable support).

I didn't think things could shock me anymore.
When I read posts like yours, one hand I'm like "yep, that's the shit women have to put up with", but the other side says "What the fuck, its a McD drive thru, why, why do men do this?"

But what absolutely doesn't shock me, is the fact the police don't do anything about it or take it seriously.

@ineedtogoshoppingnow
Exactly

I've been touched up 7 times at work (over 8 years) and every single time,work have called the police,they've come out and the air of 'we'll what the fuck do you want us to do?' has been there

It's their fucking job!

If we can't turn to the police who can we turn to?

In one case it was a 15 year old lad,the police couldn't have been less bothered but did arrest him

His punishment?

'Write her a letter mate,tell her your sorry for shoving your hand up her top and squeezing her nipple while shoving your hand down her trousers and rubbing over the top of her pants,then running off laughing while sniffing your fingers and shouting about the smell' (all caught on cctv-how much more proof do they need?)

Never got any letter and police didn't follow it up-case closed

I have heard from other teen girls that he's still at it-he just threatens the girls into keeping quiet

It's sad when a poster explaining the law is called "aggressive" and "attacking".

It's why I couldn't believe the nerve of the woman on the program last night.. We were just all so shocked that one of our officers could have committed this crime.. seriously!!
The entire police system is fucked, you complain about them but they police themselves so nothing happens and the IOPC are just as pointless.
It said at the end of the programme that the officer who didn't follow up the call about couzens driving around naked was found not guilty of misconduct, it's disgusting, it was all staring them in the face and they did nothing yet winge and moan that it's not all police... Corrupt to the core!

I think there's a case to be made for men to all be locked into electric shock collars and women to all be given remote controllers.

I did too. She felt like one of us then. It was a sobering time for all women, I think and nothing seems to have improved since then.

It was good of her to go, but I would have thought better of her if she had worn a mask like everyone else and maybe not had her hair in a trademark big bouncy blow-dry - ie she hadn’t made herself very recognizable so everyone knew she was there.

This kind of man will make every effort to join an organisation that gives them access to, and power over, the victims they wish to attack/ groom/ exploit.
We know this. We have known it for ever. Yet still there is denial, cover up, institutional collusion

Predators go where the prey is. That's not confined to the Met, either as an institution or as a part of the police force - sorry, 'service' - as a whole.

And Dick should have got the boot after the Jean Charles de Menezes killing.

The other, equally ludicrous idea, that I've just remembered is some sort of app that women could log into and be followed home on CCTV. Yep, can't see any problems with that one, either. 🙄

There was a point after all these suggestions that I wondered if the police were actually just taking the piss out of women.

Quite.

But, you know the most brilliant idea was to impose a 6pm curfew on men.

Clearly this was a ludicrous idea and was purely to highlight and mirror back onto the stupidity of the ideas being imposed on women.

What I enjoyed about it, was a particular poster here on MN took it seriously and got incredibly upset that her husband wouldn't be allowed out after 6pm.

Thinking about it now. I'm starting to come round to a 6pm men curfew idea.......

There is also an interview with his victim in Womans Own this week.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-police-jonathan-simon-stalking-prison-jail-b1072226.html

They are just closing ranks like they always do

Those WhatsApp message actually had me crying furious tears. Unbelievable. My dh worked for the police in a civilian role until he retired a couple of years ago - not London - and he said they all know how awful the Met was.

Maybe be of interest and topically related to this thread. Yesterday I saw a clip of Mark Rowley, current Met Commissioner, talking about violence against women and children and how this needs to be treated like other large criminal issues. Can watch at this link (TikTok)I hope!

I really hope he’s having a scary and boring time in prison. For many years to come. I hope he spends 24 hrs a day on his own staring at the walls with no company. Google suggests he has been given a x box and computer games though. 😡. He shouldn’t even have a tv or a book to read. Let him rot.

You are though. Not just on this thread but others too, I've seen you. Anger management classes?

@sittingingold at the very least, it was something of a PR exercise.

I understand the sentiment, but I don't think it matters what he's doing now. As long as he can't harm anyone else. Theres no punishment that will give him compassion or remorse or help Sarah's family and friends.

Let him just waste his time until he dies.

I do hope he doesn't get fan mail though, I have read thats a thing for quite a few killers.

I watched this last night as the case was incredibly close to the bone for me. The bastard stopped Sarah on a road that was part of my "safe route" for night time runs at the sort of time I might have run them. Because of that I went to the vigil with a neighbor - we had both been in two minds over whether or not to go until the police told us not to. At that point we were furious. We got to Clapham Common shortly before the minutes silence and the area around the bandstand was occupied by women mainly standing singly or in pairs and couples often with their children. It was all very quiet and respectful and the majority of people there were standing well back and observing social distancing rules. We went to leave the Common by one of the smaller paths and were almost knocked over by about 20 Met Officers charging towards the bandstand area (where absolutely nothing was happening at the time). it was obvious that the Met stirred up the people there with their heavy handed tactics.

It was a hard watch seeing it all over again.

I may have remembered wrongly,(im sure a wise mumsnetter will correct me if im wrong) but years ago my dd did a project on the Suffragette movement and how women got the vote

She was stunned to learn that these woman got together on marches and the police (men) went for them

Beatings,grabbing their breasts and ripping clothes off to expose them,grabbing between their legs,arresting them after stirring them up-there was no need to do what they did to these woman

Clapham Common wasn't that much different-men determined to beat down womens voices into dust

The only difference was one was votes for women and the other for a murdered,by one of their own,woman

Not that much has changed

You can feel how upset you still are from reading your post, it's affected women so deeply, he's such an evil bastard.
I won't ever forget what happened either, in my opinion the met police are not coming across as sorry and it doesn't sound like they're doing anything to change their boys club of bullshit.

The cyclist incident. That's completely terrifying too.

Imagine if every man who has ever exposed his penis to someone without consent, or sent a picture of it to someone without consent, were arrested and charged.