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COURT RECORD / London / Kent

Wayne Couzens: the whole-life order for Sarah Everard’s murder

The sentencing court considered his abuse of police authority; the order survived appeal.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Photo gallery

Photographs released with the case record. The captions identify the people shown.

Wayne Couzens hiring the car used in the abduction (left); the hired car (right). CCTV still released by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Wayne Couzens hiring the car used in the abduction (left); the hired car (right). CCTV still released by the Crown Prosecution Service.Crown Prosecution Service / Crown copyright · Source · Open Government Licence v2.0 (archived CPS terms)
Resized; full frame retained.
Wayne Couzens in CCTV frames released by CPS: after disposing of Sarah Everard’s phone (left) and after a B&Q visit (right).
Wayne Couzens in CCTV frames released by CPS: after disposing of Sarah Everard’s phone (left) and after a B&Q visit (right).Crown Prosecution Service / Crown copyright · Source · Open Government Licence v2.0 (archived CPS terms)
Resized; full frame retained.

The case

Wayne Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021. He used his position as a serving police officer to gain control over her while she was walking home in London.

Evidence and court findings

The sentencing judge considered the planning, the misuse of public authority and the connected offences together. Couzens pleaded guilty. The court concluded that the exceptional seriousness required a whole-life order rather than a finite minimum term followed by ordinary parole eligibility.

The sentence

The Old Bailey imposed the order on 30 September 2021, taking kidnapping and rape into account without separate penalties. The Court of Appeal dismissed his sentence appeal in July 2022. That ruling confirmed this particular whole-life order on the facts of his crimes.

Sources and case status

The whole-life order was upheld on appeal on 29 July 2022. It carries no ordinary minimum term for parole.

By Street Crime UK · Source record checked 21 October 2026.

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