Seven Metropolitan Police officers will face a gross misconduct hearing for accessing files relating to the disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard.
Former inspector Akinwale Ajose-Adeogun, Detective Sergeant Robert Butters, Police Sergeant Mark Harper, PC Myles McHugh, former trainee Detective Constable Hannah Rebbeck, PC Clare Tett and Detective Constable Tyrone Ward will sit before the hearing on Monday, October 28.
They will answer allegations concerning breaches of confidentiality, orders & instructions, and discreditable conduct.
Ms Everard, 33, was snatched from the streets in March 2021 by Wayne Couzens, who was working as an officer for the Met at the time.
Couzens used his police-issued warrant card to stage a fake arrest on Ms Everard, before he raped and strangled her to death.
Those who had accessed files relating to Ms Everard’s disappearance and the subsequent investigation were audited by investigators from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
Sarah Everard (pictured) was abducted, raped and murdered by the Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens
Those who had accessed files relating to Ms Everard’s disappearance and the subsequent investigation were audited by investigators from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: ‘First and foremost our thoughts remain with Sarah Everards’s family. We have kept them updated throughout the investigation and have apologised to them for the added distress this has caused.
‘All Met officers and staff should have no doubt of the rules around accessing files and they know there must be a legitimate policing purpose to do so. As well as mandatory training on this issue, they are regularly reminded of our policies when logging into IT systems.
‘It is right this was subject to an investigation. It will now be for the hearing panel to look at all of the evidence and decide whether conduct matters are proven for any of these individuals.’
All seven officers are accused of ‘accessing a police system on multiple occasions relating to the disappearance of Sarah Everard’ that was ‘not undertaken in the course of their duties’ in March 2021 – the month that Ms Everard went missing.
The force say the alleged matters mount to Gross Misconduct which are so serious they justify dismissal.
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.
Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, South London, on March 3
Serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens (above), 48, from Deal, Kent, admitted to the kidnap, rape and murder of Everard in July 2021
Couzens as he served as a police officer before transferring to the Met Police elite unit
A number of areas were searched in Clapham as police tried to look for missing Sarah
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.
During the investigation, Couzens came up with an implausible lie an Eastern European gang had forced him to kidnap Ms Everard after underpaying a prostitute.
Police released this mugshot of murderer police officer Wayne Couzens after he admitted to the offences
Wayne Couzens seen in a court sketch during a previous hearing relating to the case
As the Met pursued its investigation the absurd story was dropped as he realised he could not escape justice.
But despite his new confession, Couzens – a diplomatic protection officer – has still refused to explain why he carried out his crimes, offering brazen ‘no comment’ replies in every police interview. He had even tried to kill himself in custody by running into a wall at the station.
He had meticulously planned the kidnap and hired a car three days earlier and bought a roll of self-adhesive film advertised as a carpet protector on Amazon.