Sarah Everard murder: Killer gets whole life sentence

Convicted murderer Wayne Couzens was sentenced to a whole life order on Thursday, one day after he was found guilty of abducting, raping, and murdering Sarah Everard, 33.

It means he will spend his entire life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Judge Adrian Fulford called the crimes "grotesque." He said that Couzens' behavior was "devastating, tragic and wholly brutal" and that Everard was "wholly blameless."

He said Couzens had planned the crime in "unspeakably" grim detail.

Family welcome full life term

Everard's family sat in court as her killer detailed her ordeal. They said they were  "very pleased" Couzens would spend the rest of his life in prison.

"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 family said in a statement. "The world is a safer place with him imprisoned."

A whole life order is relatively rare in the United Kingdom, where life sentences may end after 25 years if the offender is deemed to no longer present a danger to society.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said words could not express the horror of the murder.

"Like the rest of the country I have been sickened by what we have heard over the course of this sentencing and the pain and suffering endured by her family and friends is truly unimaginable," said Johnson.

What happened to Sarah Everard?

Couzens, 48, was a serving member of the London police diplomatic service when he carried out the crime and was subsequently arrested.

Earlier, he had told the court how he kidnapped Everard on March 3, 2021, under the pretense that he was detaining her for breaking pandemic lockdown restrictions while she was walking home at night from a friend's house. 

The abduction took place on a well-lit main road in London. Prosecutors said Everard was a stranger to the culprit and was seemingly plucked off the street at random.

Two witnesses saw the incident but believed a police officer was making a legitimate arrest.

He then took her to a more remote location outside of London in a vehicle investigators believe was rented specifically to carry out the crime. Couzens then sexually assaulted Everard and strangled her before setting fire to her body near an area where he and his wife had recently bought land.

How was Couzens caught?

According to reports, police tracked down Couzens relatively quickly because the license plate of his vehicle was visible from CCTV footage. However, the London metropolitan police force has said it would not comment on the killer being a serving officer until after he was sentenced.

The brutal slaying of the 33-year-old marketing executive prompted a series of protests that were at times violently shut down by police, citing lockdown restrictions.

The Metropolitan Police Force said it was "sickened, angered, and devastated" by his crimes, and Commissioner Cressida Dick has apologized to Everard's family.

es/rt (AP, Reuters)