A London police officer has been charged in the Sarah Everard murder case. It was revealed that Everard, a 33-year-old woman, was kidnapped and murdered after disappearing in a walk home. This has created a lot of tension, and it has caused a debate around women’s safety and sexual assault in the country.
Details of the Accusation
The man charged in the case was a 48-year-old officer named Wayne Couzens. Couzens will certainly not be an officer anymore, and he will most likely be spending the rest of his life in jail for the gruesome murder of Everard.
Couzens appeared in the Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his initial hearing. He will appear in court again next week in London on March 16th for a second case. The information was given by the London Police, where Couzens was a member of the force.
Everard’s disappearance prompted a massive search effort in London. Her body was found 50 miles from where she was last seen before the kidnapping. An autopsy has not taken place yet, but it’s planned to begin in the coming days.
Couzens was arrested on Tuesday and charged for the murder on Friday. An investigation implicated the London Police, which revealed that Couzens was the alleged killer. When significant events like this happen in the world, it usually causes protests, which was the case in London.
Thousands of women have rallied in-person and through social media to discuss their harassment experiences at night when walking alone through London. Everard’s murder has also caused fear to spike for women around the country.
There have been tips shared online for women if they ever encounter a situation of harassment or violence. Some of the suggestions were pretending to talk on the phone, not wearing headphones at night, or utilizing their keys as a means of defense.
The London Police force commented on the situation on Friday. A spokesperson said, “women in London and the wider public, particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing, will be worried and may well be feeling frightened.” There will be more London officers in the streets moving forward to prevent further violence and keep the metropolitan area safe.
The scary part was that Wayne Couzens was a member of the force, which will not help reassure women in the metropolitan area.
National Problem
Situations like Sarah Everard are rare in London and the United Kingdom as a whole. However, sexual harassment and violence are common. This is not just a problem in the United Kingdom. It’s taking place throughout the world, especially in developed countries, which is even more alarming.
Over 70% of women in the UK surveyed by the United Nations revealed that they had been sexually harassed in public. Amongst the 18 to 24-year-old demographic, that rate became 97%. There were more than 1,000 women surveyed in this study by the United Nations.
These cases are going widely unreported. Only 4% of these women reported the details of their harassment. 45% of the women claimed that they did not report the harassment details because they did not believe it would make a difference.
Get REAL, UNBIASED coverage of the latest political news from our experts at JAZZ Politics & News. Follow us on Social Media to receive instant updates on the latest changes in political betting odds.
