Ex-London cop was reported for 'indecent exposures' thrice before Sarah Everard's rape, murder

Wayne Couzens, a former Met Police officer convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard, could have been held by Police before he committed his spree of crimes with Everard, it is revealed. The Police missed chances to identify Couzens as danger to women multiple times, The Guardian reported.

The report said that on 27 February 2021, six days before Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder, Couzens exposed his private body parts at a fast-food drive-through restaurant on the London and Kent border, an incident which was reported to police. In total, Couzens has pleaded guilty to three such indecent exposures -- all before Everard's eventual murder.

About Wayne Couzens' indecent exposures

A London court specified the details of the indecent exposure in the official record. These incidents took place in June 2015, November 2020, and February 2021 respectively.

Couzens, who is serving a whole-life sentence for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, was an officer in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection group.

This is the same unit as the serial rapist David Carrick, who was jailed last week.

The Met has stated in the past that the two officers did not work together and there was no evidence that they knew each other.

A government-backed inquiry into the Met rape scandal is expected to report later this year.

On Monday, the Met, while defending itself against revelation that Couzens could have been arrested earlier for his indecent exposures, said: "On 28 February 2021, the Met received an allegation of exposure at a location in Swanley, Kent. This was recorded and passed to a local officer to investigate. By the time of Sarah Everard’s kidnap, on 3 March 2021, the investigation was not concluded and Couzens’ occupation had not been identified."

Couzens will be sentenced on 6 March in the indecent exposure row.

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