Wayne Couzens jailed for flashing at women days before murdering Sarah Everard

Wayne Couzens has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for flashing at women in the months before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.

The ex-Metropolitan Police officer was supposed to be on duty and working from home when he exposed himself to a female cyclist in a country lane in Kent in November 2020. He went on to expose himself to two female attendants at a drive-through fast food restaurant in Kent, with the last incident just days before he snatched 33-year-old Ms Everard in south London on March 3 2021.

Couzens, formerly from Deal in Kent, pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent exposure with three further counts to lie on court file. As the 50-year-old appeared in court on Monday (March 6) to be sentenced, the women described the impact of the incidents on them.

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The female cyclist said her “freedom” to enjoy country walks and cycling had been taken away by his “selfish, aggressive act”. She said: “I remember vividly being concerned that somebody who could expose themselves to a stranger in such an intimidating way could go on to commit much more serious acts. This is what happened.”

She told Couzens: “Four months after you exposed yourself to me, you raped and murdered an innocent woman. There were opportunities to identify you and they were not taken. I did not feel that, when I reported your crime, it was taken as seriously as I felt that it should have been. The horror of what happened will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

Couzens, who appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link from Frankland Prison, gave no reaction as the statements were read in court. In a televised