Jul 9, 2021 - World

U.K. police officer pleads guilty to murdering Sarah Everard

Erin Doherty

Protesters during a rally expressing objection to Sarah Everard's death. — Protest in London. Photo: Pietro Recchia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A British police officer admitted Friday to murdering Sarah Everard, whose death sparked widespread protests and anger from women who shared their own experiences of being threatened or attacked while walking alone, Reuters reports.

The big picture: Wayne Couzens, 48, a London officer, abducted Everard as she walked home from a friend's house on March 3. Her body was found about 50 miles away in southeast England a week after her disappearance. Couzens previously pleaded guilty to raping and kidnapping Everard.

An autopsy last month concluded Everard had died as a result of compression of the neck, per Reuters.
A prosecutor said Couzens had never met Everard prior to kidnapping her and they were "total strangers."
"This has been a mammoth investigation which has produced some very significant results in terms of being able to understand what happened," Judge Adrian Fulford said.

What's next: Couzens' sentencing is scheduled for late September, per AP.

Go deeper: U.K. police criticized for response to vigil for slain Sarah Everard

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U.K. police officer pleads guilty to murdering Sarah Everard

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