Sarah Everard – a vulnerable lone woman betrayed by a figure of trust
The 33-year-old was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Pc Wayne Couzens, who should have made her feel safe as she walked home late at night.
“Kind, caring and beautiful”, Sarah Everard came to represent women everywhere who feel unsafe on the streets of Britain.
Lockdowns intensified the vulnerabilities of lone women who took to the streets on foot or bicycle rather than risk public transport during the Covid-19 crisis.
On March 3, the 33-year-old marketing executive had picked up a bottle of wine before visiting a friend in Clapham, south London, and later decided to walk two-and-a-half miles home.
The last time her boyfriend, Josh Lowth, spoke to her was in a 14-minute phone call after she set off.
As a serving police officer, Pc Wayne Couzens might have appeared to her as a trusted figure before the dreadful realisation of his true intent.
After Ms Everard was found dead in woodland in Kent, her family issued a statement, describing her as a “shining example”.
“She was kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable.
“She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour.
“She was strong and principled and a shining example to us all.
“We are very proud of her and she brought so much joy to our lives.”
The Duchess of Cambridge was among those who paid their respects at a vigil on Clapham Common.
Ms Everard’s family sat in court at the Old Bailey when Couzens finally admitted the ultimate betrayal of trust as a police officer.
Rather than protect the public as he was duty-bound to do, he was responsible for her kidnap, rape and murder.
