Former London police officer Wayne Couzens has been sentenced to life in prison for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
Sentencing Couzens at the Old Bailey in London, Lord Justice Fulford handed down the maximum penalty, meaning the killer will die in jail.
He said Couzens, 48, went out “hunting a lone female to kidnap and rape” having planned an attack in “unspeakably” grim detail.
The judge said Couzens must have realised he “may well need to kill the woman he intended to abduct and rape” but that did not become a “definite outcome” before events began to unfold.
The defendant’s preparations included taking some of his police-issue equipment with him and lying to his family about working on the night of the murder, the court heard.
The judge called the circumstances of the case “devastating, tragic and wholly brutal” and paid tribute to the dignity of Everard’s family.
He said the statements they made in court conveyed the human impact of the “warped, selfish and brutal offending which was both sexual and homicidal" and said Everard was “a wholly blameless victim” of a “grotesque” series of offences.
As the life sentence was delivered, Everard's family members were seen crying and wiping their eyes as they hugged each other.
In a statement released after the sentencing, the Everard family said they were “very pleased” that Couzens will “spend the rest of his life in jail.”
They said the knowledge that he will remain behind bars until his death “brings some relief” but that “nothing can make things better, nothing can bring Sarah back”.
"Sarah lost her life needlessly and cruelly and all the years of life she had yet to enjoy were stolen from her,” they said.
“Wayne Couzens held a position of trust as a police officer and we are outraged and sickened that he abused this trust in order to lure Sarah to her death. The world is a safer place with him imprisoned.
"It is almost seven months since Sarah died and the pain of losing her is overwhelming. We miss her all the time.
“She was a beautiful young woman in looks and character and our lives are the poorer without her.
“We remember all the lovely things about Sarah – her compassion and kindness, her intelligence, her strong social conscience. But we especially like to remember her laughing and dancing and enjoying life. We hold her safe in our hearts.”
The family said they are “immensely grateful” to police officers and lawyers who worked on the case and thanked relatives and friends who had reached out to comfort them.
The court was told that Couzens’ colleagues in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary nicknamed him “The Rapist” and knew he was "attracted to violent sexual pornography".
Couzens’ lawyer argued that while he had a plan to abduct a rape a woman, he did not plan to commit murder.
Couzens used his police-issue warrant card and handcuffs to snatch the 33 year old marketing executive in a fake arrest as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on the evening of March 3.
The firearms officer had finished a 12-hour shift at the American embassy that morning.
After abducting Everard, he drove 80 miles to a secluded rural area near Dover in Kent, where he parked his car and raped her. Afterwards, he used his police belt to strangle her.
By 2.30am the next morning she was dead, five hours after being abducted as she was walking to her home in Brixton.
Couzens placed the body of his victim in a fly-tipped refrigerator in a patch of woodland he owned near Ashford, Kent, and set it alight.
He later dumped the remains in a nearby pond. Police sniffer dogs found Everard’s body on March 10.
Couzens was arrested at his home in Deal, Kent, after police connected him to a hire car he used to abduct Everard.
Police released footage showing him sitting on his couch in handcuffs being questioned by officers about the disappearance of Everard.
He was shown a photo of her but denied ever having met her, and said he only knew about the missing person case from the news.
The judge said the evidence gathered against Couzens was “unanswerable” and there was “no credible explanation” for his actions.
From the moment Couzens first spoke to investigating officers he had attempted to “minimise his true responsibility” for his actions, the judge said.
The Metropolitan Police sacked Couzens in July after he pleaded guilty to her kidnap, rape and murder.
On Wednesday, Everard’s parents and sister came face-to-face with her killer for the first time at the start of the two-day sentencing at London court.
All three asked Couzens to look at them as they delivered their moving speeches to the courtroom.
His barrister, Jim Sturman QC, said Couzens felt too “ashamed” of his actions to look at the Everards.
“He was invited to look at the Everards. He could not, I am told. He is ashamed,” Mr Sturman said.
“What he has done is terrible. He deserves a very lengthy, finite term but he did all he could after he was arrested to minimise the wicked harm that he did.”
Before Thursday's sentencing, Labour MP and chairman of the parliamentary human rights committee Harriet Harman called on Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to resign over the case.
In her letter to the police chief, Ms Harman said that “women's confidence in the police will have been shattered” by the case and that it is “not possible for you [Dick] to lead” the changes necessary in the force going forward.
Dame Cressida faced a barrage of criticism in March over the force's handling of a vigil in memory of Everard.
Female demonstrators were thrown to the ground and arrested by male police officers at the gathering on Clapham Common.
Scotland Yard was later exonerated over its policing of the event, with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services concluding officers “did their best” to peacefully disperse the crowd.
Today, Dame Cressida said Couzens had brought “shame” on the Metropolitan Police and branded him a “coward”.
Following the sentencing she said: “I am absolutely horrified that this man used his position of trust to deceive and coerce Sarah and I know you all are too.
“His actions were a gross betrayal of everything policing stands for.”
Dame Cressida added: “He showed himself to be the coward he is through his lies and seeking to minimise his true responsibility for his crimes.
“Police officers are here to protect people. To be courageous and compassionate. His actions were the exact opposite of that.”
“As Commissioner I will do everything in my power to ensure we learn any lessons.
“I know that what happened to Sarah, and what has happened to other women in London and beyond in recent times, has raised important questions about women’s safety.
“Here in the Met I commit to keep working with others to improve women’s safety and reduce the fear of violence.
“There are no words that can express the fury and overwhelming sadness that we all feel about what happened to Sarah. I am so sorry.”
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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The specs: Volvo XC40
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Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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