Three Met law enforcement officials are responsible of gross misconduct for accessing Sarah Everard homicide information – however one is allowed to proceed within the job with a warning
Three Met police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct for accessing police files relating to the disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard with ‘no proper policing purpose’, a tribunal has found.
A gross misconduct panel sacked PC Myles McHugh over the misconduct, while the panel also said former Met detective constable Hannah Rebbeck would have been sacked had she not previously resigned.
Sergeant Mark Harper was given a final written warning over the incident, which will last for three years.
Ms Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2021 by killer Met cop Wayne Couzens as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London.
The hearing heard that the officers had viewed X-rays of the murdered 33-year-old, as well as investigation logs and witness statements.
Detective Constable Tyrone Ward, former Inspector Akinwale Ajose-Adeogun and former Detective Sergent Robert Butters also faced the same misconduct hearing, however the panel decided that they did have a legitimate reason for accessing the information and as such did not breach policing standards.
A Met police officer has been dismissed after accessing police files relating to the disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard
Ms Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2021 by killer Met cop Wayne Couzens (pictured) as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: ‘Today as always, our thoughts remain with Sarah Everard’s family and friends. We have apologised to them for the added distress this case has caused and I recognise the wider questions and concerns this raises.
‘Our officers and staff are regularly reminded that police systems and specific files must only be accessed where there is a legitimate policing purpose to do so.
‘This includes reminder screens and warning pages when logging on to our software systems, as well as mandatory training on information management which must be completed by everyone within the organisation.
‘It is clear the panel has carefully considered the circumstances of each individual case before coming to their conclusion that three officers had no acceptable reason for looking at this information.’
Ms Everard was snatched from the street as she was walking home from a friend’s house towards Brixton on March 3, 2021.
She had been reported missing by her boyfriend, who she called for around 14 minutes on an approximately 2.5 mile journey home which began at around 9pm.
The marketing assistant, who grew up in York and lived in London, was seen on a doorbell camera at around 9pm walking along Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill.
A number of areas were searched in Clapham as police tried to look for missing Sarah
Ms Everard was snatched from the street as she was walking home from a friend’s house towards Brixton on March 3, 2021
She had been reported missing by her boyfriend, who she called for around 14 minutes on an approximately 2.5 mile journey home which began at around 9pm
CCTV caught her alone at quarter past nine and again at 9.28pm, before she was seen on the camera of a marked police car at 9.32pm.
Then at around 9.35pm, a bus camera captured two figures on the road and a white Vauxhall Astra with its hazard lights flashing.
Footage from another bus caught the same car with both front doors open.
The vehicle was later confirmed to have been hired from Dover after police caught its registration number and traced it as it left London for Kent.
A major Metropolitan Police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later in woodland in Kent.
On March 9, 2021, Couzens was arrested and charged with the kidnap and rape of Everard. He was later charged with her murder after medial reports were completed.
In July of that year, Couzens pleaded guilty to all three charges at the Old Bailey and was given a rare whole life prison sentence.
