GUILTY UK - Sarah Everard, 33, London, Clapham Common area, 3 Mar 2021 *Life sentence* #16

[kittythehare]

He had no need to kill her. he chose to kill her, this suggests he took pleasure in the act. Pre-meditated?
Violent pornographic fantasies?
It's likely, I'd imagine.
How many times did he rape her?

 

[Sherlockhames]

Agree.

Not many rapists carrying out their planned sexual fantasies are thinking rationally at the time and don't think about covering their tracks.

Like 'tunnel vision' to satisfy the fantasy - IMO he would have been on a sexual high - Then the murder, the ultimate control over a life.

Is it also possible that in this tunnel vision that was all about himself he neglected to think through the consequences of literally picking someone off the streets. If I am not mistaken her disappearance was making national news by Friday night (when she was abducted on the Wednesday and he returned to dispose of her on Friday morning if I read the timeline correctly). So according to the timeline, although he had already murdered her and set the fire to her remains to attempt to cover his tracks, by Friday night the reality of his situation would have been beginning to dawn on him. I think he may have returned to scene so he could “keep an eye on it” as it were. Check that it still appeared “secure” as it were after he left it on the Friday. Taking the family was then a cover story for being there and also looking at the scene through the eyes of others. JMO. I don’t think it was and act of defiance or bravado, I think the fear of being found out started at that stage. Then, if he was following the news at all he would have seen the forensics teams at the scene of the abduction on the Tuesday afternoon (it was on the news and online). And shortly after that was when he wiped his phone as he must have sensed the net was closing (and in fact the police were already waiting outside his house).

(One thing I would note for long term posters here - that smouldering Snapchat pic was not her thank god. I had the misfortune of seeing it posted briefly on this forum before it was removed by the mods and it was gnawing away at me that it might have been her and I really didn’t want to have seen it as it felt way to intrusive. But the fridge seems to have at least knocked on the head. Thankfully).

 

[Mrs Marple]

I have no belief in the view that he intended to kidnap and rape but not to kill. To prowl London looking for your victim, to lure her miles away under false pretences, having purchased tarpaulin, under what circumstances would he intend to release his victim? The plan had to be murder from the start. If he let her go he would have easily been identified. He showed Sarah his warrant card.

He may not have pre-planned it but it was almost certainly inevitable. He needed to cover up what he had done.

 

[proclee]

I agree the plan was always to kidnap & kill whoever his victim was to be. Off the top of my head I can’t recall a case where someone has been kidnapped by a stranger & driven to a location then raped and afterwards voluntarily released by the perpetrator. In the instances where murder isn’t part of the plan the rape usually occurs in an open public place like a park for example. It was pre meditated 1000%.

 

[tallmansix]

See, to me £30k of debt doesn’t seem that extraordinary. Yes it’s a lot but for a working couple it’s not the end of the world. Especially with the debt help that’s available. I’d be surprised if the Met didn’t have its own debt counselling (or links to an external agency). They are very keen to ensure police officers aren’t susceptible to blackmail etc.

Could be an issue for someone who can't control their impulses and urges - both sexual and money wise.

£30k of pre-planned or secured debt - eg car loans, mortgages etc isn't necessarily a problem, but when £30k of debts comes from constantly overspending against income and built up incrementally on credit cards, then it can be a steep uphill to escape from. It seems he had debt management plans in place which means this had been a problem situation.

There was mention of payday loans in one report - that is a sign of last resort lending which is not healthy and often attract crippling interest rates. The interest alone on £30k of debt could easily be £200-400 per month depending on terms and payday loans can be 150% APR interest.

If somebody has overspent their means by £500 a month for say 5 years to build up £30k debt, then when it comes to crunch and you are on a debt plan, you now lose both your ability to overspend by £500 a month AND need to pay back in this case £235 to debt management plus some to the Nat West / Paypal debts ( approx £4k), say £100, and the interest on those payday loans another £100 a month

The reality is that they will feel like they are now £935 'worse off' per month and have a fixed budget rather than being able to borrow whenever.

That's needs a lot of impulse control to rein the spending in and get out of that predicament, especially considering the cost of using sex workers.

I imagine he wasn't open about his finances to his wife either, otherwise the cash spent on sex workers would have rung alarm bells.

 

[Gemmie]

It's quite an unusual selection of drinks to buy for 1 person IMO, 3 different varieties of drink.

Sadly my theory on this at the time seems to be far closer to reality than I'd have liked.

My guess is they were his wife and kid's favorite drinks that he was going to take home with him. Everyone has their own favorites. Not at all uncommon.

 

[Coach]

Sarah’s family, friends and loved ones are completely heartbroken - so many lives devastated and utterly shattered because of this monster. There will not be a single day that goes by that they won’t wonder how much she suffered and how terrified she must have been. No way of escaping from him, no one to help her. She must have been absolutely petrified, unable to defend herself, handcuffed and locked in the car. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Her whole future ahead of her. He even took his wife and children to the woodland after he did what he did, a Policeman - someone that members of the public should feel safe and protected by. I keep thinking how he must have duped her by stopping and asking what she was doing out, probably telling her he was in an unmarked Police car. Puts her in the car and drives. Carried on driving out of London and my eyes fill with tears when I think how scared she must have been. I wonder at what point during the drive did she know that he had got her in the car under false pretences. My heart goes out to all her family, friends and to her boyfriend. I feel for the monster’s children and wife, their lives are shattered too. Pure evil.

 

[Gemmie]

Hard to believe this was his first.

I agree. I've said that in earlier threads that I think this was the first one he got caught at. Likely the others were homeless and or druggies that no one cared that much about. Sad but I think it's true.

 

[cestmoi]

Much longer version of the interview at WC's home here: Sarah Everard: Police bodycam footage shows how Wayne Couzens spun desperate web of lies | Daily Mail Online

He seems very anxious and nervous in this one. The story about the gang seems even more ridiculous in watching this.

 

[Gemmie]

He would have spoken to her when he first accosted her and realised from her replies that she was an educated ,articulate professional woman.
He had the opportunity to let her go.

That's a really good point but I think his urges are what he was having a hard time ignoring. He obviously wasn't thinking with the head on his shoulders. Extremely sad situation.

 

[tallmansix]

I agree the plan was always to kidnap & kill whoever his victim was to be. Off the top of my head I can’t recall a case where someone has been kidnapped by a stranger & driven to a location then raped and afterwards voluntarily released by the perpetrator. In the instances where murder isn’t part of the plan the rape usually occurs in an open public place like a park for example. It was pre meditated 1000%.

All too common unfortunately:

‘Predator’ kidnapped woman and raped her in dark dead-end road

Man jailed for 15 years after kidnapping and raping teenage girl

Fake Uber driver who kidnapped, robbed and raped woman jailed

Serial rapist abducted woman outside her home and subjected her to 14-hour rape

 

[Cherwell]

Set against the context of police cuts and covid it's totally believable and most people probably would never question it especially as the adrenaline of the situation kicks in.

That was my point - that most people would think it normal because of Covid, whether or not they usually would.

 

[Gemmie]

I wonder if he took his children to the woods as an explanation for that exact soil and vegetation to be on his footwear, clothes, vehicle etc

Oh! GOOD point!!! Or maybe to be near her body so he can fantasize further during the family trip.

 

[Skigh]

Could be an issue for someone who can't control their impulses and urges - both sexual and money wise.

£30k of pre-planned or secured debt - eg car loans, mortgages etc isn't necessarily a problem, but when £30k of debts comes from constantly overspending against income and built up incrementally on credit cards, then it can be a steep uphill to escape from. It seems he had debt management plans in place which means this had been a problem situation.

There was mention of payday loans in one report - that is a sign of last resort lending which is not healthy and often attract crippling interest rates. The interest alone on £30k of debt could easily be £200-400 per month depending on terms and payday loans can be 150% APR interest.

If somebody has overspent their means by £500 a month for say 5 years to build up £30k debt, then when it comes to crunch and you are on a debt plan, you now lose both your ability to overspend by £500 a month AND need to pay back in this case £235 to debt management plus some to the Nat West / Paypal debts ( approx £4k), say £100, and the interest on those payday loans another £100 a month

The reality is that they will feel like they are now £935 'worse off' per month and have a fixed budget rather than being able to borrow whenever.

That's needs a lot of impulse control to rein the spending in and get out of that predicament, especially considering the cost of using sex workers.

I imagine he wasn't open about his finances to his wife either, otherwise the cash spent on sex workers would have rung alarm bells.

Perhaps his urges/fantasies had been satisfied by him spending money visiting sex workers but as his debt increased and repayments had to start being repaid he no longer could afford to do that.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Regarding the debt that cannot have sat well with his employers as it made him vulnerable to blackmail.

I think it is a pretty hefty sum of money to be in debt by when he was driving an old banger around. Did he spend it on sex workers and *advertiser censored*

 

[Coach]

I wonder if his wife had been told the extent of what had happened or has she only just found out the actual details? Imagine what she is thinking right now, his children too. To use his position of authority as a Policeman to get her in the car, to then rape and murder her. Her family broken, devastated by what he did.

 

[Rusty Braincells]

All my opinion, but I don’t think WC subconsciously wanted to be caught or his life was falling apart and he got into a frenzy. I think instead, he had built himself up in his own arrogance to think he could get away with this. He felt powerful doing this, not out of control. That’s what his actions say to me.

I suspect he has got away with other crimes too more than those he’s been accused of, although perhaps not murder before now. But I do think victims more on the edges of society than Sarah, who would attract less publicity, are a possibility and can’t be ruled out. The way Couzens committed this murder was amateurish, but I don’t think that discounts past victims entirely, women who would be sadly less missed or noticed than poor Sarah, and perhaps more impulsive / crime of opportunity killings than this, which was shockingly premeditated.

This whole case has been on my mind all day. So sad and disturbing.

 

[Stella123]

I suspect to this point he probably just abused vulnerable women (e.g. prostitutes)

I'd guarantee there is more sexual violence in his past

“Lord Justice Fulford asked the Crown if they were planning on bringing up evidence he had seen in written submissions that colleagues said Wayne Couzens was partial to "brutal sexual *advertiser censored*".

Mr Little said it had been deliberately omitted.

Couzens's lawyer Jim Sturman QC, said it was from 2002 and was irrelevant. “

So he did have a history of using brutal sexual *advertiser censored*.

Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens 'may have abused lockdown powers to arrest and kidnap victim'

 

[daisychain01]

Was there anymore information shared regarding the ‘indecent exposure’ case he was related too a few days before the abduction?

 

[tedtink]

Much longer version of the interview at WC's home here: Sarah Everard: Police bodycam footage shows how Wayne Couzens spun desperate web of lies | Daily Mail Online

He seems very anxious and nervous in this one. The story about the gang seems even more ridiculous in watching this.

Although fascinating, I'm really surprised this interview has been put in the public domain, Surely this is unprecedented?