Sarah Everard’s murderer Wayne Couzens performed a sex act in front of a female cyclist, court hears

Wayne Couzens performed a sex act and drove through a town centre with his lower body exposed, a London court heard today as he was charged with two further flashing offences – dating back to six years before he killed Sarah Everard.

Couzens is already serving a whole-life sentence for the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old marketing executive Ms Everard in March 2021, when he was a serving Metropolitan Police officer.

The 49-year-old was seen on video-link from HMP Frankland wearing a grey sweat shirt and sporting a grey beard and moustache to face two new charges of indecent exposure following a referral of evidence from the Met Police.

Couzen’s has been accused of emerging from a woodland, completely naked and masturbating in front of a female cyclist on November 13 2020, Westminster Magistrates Court heard today. 

The killer cop could not be found at the time and it was not until the images of Couzens circulated after the death of Ms Everard that the woman recognised him. 

He is also accused of driving through Dover town centre in Kent with the lower half of his body exposed on June 9 2015.  

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward said: ‘A member of the public rang the police providing registration number of a VW Golf, which was registered to the defendant, saying he had just seen someone driving through the centre of Dover with his erect penis exposed. He was so shocked he rang the police.

‘The defendant was not spoken to and then there were some difficulties in locating the complainant. That may be why it did not progress.’

Couzens offered no indication of a plea to the two charges of indecent exposure. 

He spoke to confirm his name and date of birth but remained almost motionless during the nine minute hearing. 

Ms Ledward added: ‘In November 2020 a lady was cycling along a country road a couple of miles away from the Kent coast.

‘Wayne Couzens stepped out of the woodland completely naked and masturbating.

‘The suspect could not be traced at the time. It was not until images of Mr Couzens were circulated that she recognised the defendant.’

He was remanded in custody ahead of his next appearance at the Old Bailey on October 3. 

Couzens has already appeared in court since being convicted of Ms Everard’s murder, charged with four other incidents of alleged indecent exposure said to have taken place in Swanley, Kent, before Ms Everard’s death.

Those charges state he allegedly ‘intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm and distress’.

The incidents allegedly took place on four occasions in Swanley – between January 22 and February 1 2021, January 30 and February 6, and on February 14 and February 27.

Couzens is serving a whole life order for the kidnap, rape and murder of Ms Everard, meaning he will never leave prison. He was the first person to receive a life order for a single murder in the UK.

He lost an appeal against this sentence earlier this year.

Appealing against the whole-life term, Couzens’ lawyers had argued he deserved ‘decades in jail’ but said a whole-life term was excessive.

However, in a summary read out in court, Lord Burnett said that the sentencing judge was entitled to impose a whole life order due to the facts of Couzens’ case.

Lord Burnett said that while the sentencing starting point in Couzens’ case would be a minimum term of 30 years, he continued: ‘Having regard to its aggravating features we are in no doubt that its seriousness is so exceptionally high such that a whole life order rather than a minimum term order should be made.

‘We consider this to be the correct route to a just result in this case.

‘It provides for its unique and defining feature, which was that Couzens had used his knowledge and status as a police office to perpetrate his appalling crimes against Ms (Sarah) Everard and for the extensive and extreme nature of the other aggravating features which were present: the significant and cold-blooded planning and pre-meditation; the abduction of Ms Everard; the most serious sexual conduct; the mental and physical suffering inflicted on Ms Everard before her death; and the concealment and attempts to destroy Ms Everard’s body.’

Ms Everard was killed after being abducted from a street in Clapham, south London, and placed into a hire car by Couzens.

He convinced her she was under arrest for breach of lockdown rules, even using his real police handcuffs and warrant card for the fake detention.

The killing sparked outrage across the UK and has also sparked a string of revelations about ongoing issues in the Metropolitan Police and other UK forces.

It came to light after Couzens’ arrest that he was nicknamed ‘The Rapist’ by former colleagues.

Several officers also faced criminal charges after messages emerged from a WhatsApp group that included Couzens.

Officers shared messages which joked about raping female colleagues and domestic violence. They also included racist and offensive language to describe people with Down’s syndrome.

Couzens has since been charged with six flashing offences in all. 

At the time the CPS charged him with the latest two offences, Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said: ‘The CPS has authorised two further charges of exposure against Wayne Couzens, following a referral of evidence by the Metropolitan Police. 

‘The two alleged offences took place in June 2015 and November 2020.

‘Wayne Couzens will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 2 September 2022.

‘The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges to a court to consider.

‘The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Wayne Couzens are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.’

For the previous four charges Couzens has elected to face a jury trial after denying the allegations at the Old Bailey in May.