Sarah Everard ‘had no link and had never met’ Met gun cop Wayne Couzens arrested over kidnap and murder
SARAH Everard had never met the Met gun cop arrested on suspicion of her kidnap and murder and had no link to him, it was reported today.
Wayne Couzens, 48, was yesterday being quizzed after the 33-year-old vanished walking home from Clapham last week.
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Last night Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said human remains had been found in woods — but did not confirm that they belonged to marketing executive Sarah, 33.
Cops had moved in on married dad-of-two PC Couzens after a car linked to him was allegedly spotted on a motorist’s dashcam near to where Sarah was last seen on the night of Wednesday March 3.
But police do not believe PC Couzens had ever met Sarah previously.
Sources told that while detectives were searching social media messages, they had so far not found a link between Couzens and Everard.
It comes as...
- Police were last night investigating whether Wayne Couzens used his warrant card to entice Sarah into a car
- Sarah's family said she would never have taken a lift from a stranger
- Human remains were found in woodland in Kent last night as part of the investigation
- CCTV from a London bus could have helped cops in their investigation
- Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was "utterly appalled" at the news
The source said there was "so far there is no evidence" of a link but added: "You can’t be 100 per cent certain at this stage but so far it is a leading line of inquiry that Sarah didn’t know whoever attacked her.”
Last night Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she was "utterly appalled" that an officer had been arrested over Sarah's disappearance.
The top cop confirmed human remains had been found in woodland near Ashford, Kent.
It is 30 miles from the Deal home where Met Police gun cop Couzens, 48, was arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of Sarah’s kidnap.
He was then arrested for Sarah's murder yesterday.
Police were unable to confirm the identity of the body and said it is likely to take "a significant time" to be able to do so.
However, Sarah’s family were informed of the tragic find.
The marksman, whose role involves guarding politicians and protecting events attended by senior royals, is believed to have worked a shift in South London that day.
A source said last night: “The working hypothesis is that he saw Sarah on the street for the first time and kidnapped her.
“At this stage it is thought the officer used his warrant card to entice Sarah towards his car.
“One theory is that he may have used the Covid lockdown as a pretext to engage with her and then snatched her.”
PC Couzens is attached to the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) unit normally based at the Palace of Westminster.
Detectives probing Sarah’s suspected murder searched his locker yesterday.
The movements of the car, believed to have been hired, were said to have been tracked by ANPR cameras from the scene.
It is understood PC Couzens worked a 2pm to 8pm relief shift at the US Embassy in Nine Elms, South West London.
It is around three miles from where Sarah, who was wearing a green rain jacket and navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern, was last seen on a doorbell camera at 9.30pm.
At the time she was walking alone on Poynders Road, part of the South Circular, after a 15-minute phone call with her boyfriend Josh Lowth.
Moments later PC Couzens is suspected of bundling Sarah into his car out of view of cameras.
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Sarah had been walking from a friend's house on Wednesday last week - heading back to her Brixton home.
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However, she vanished that night - with police launching a desperate hunt for the 33-year-old.
Following the arrest of the police officer, the Metropolitan Police has made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
