Sarah Everard’s family have released an emotional tribute through Scotland Yard on the anniversary of her horrific murder at the hands of a serving Metropolitan Police officer.
Wayne Couzens used Covid laws to stage a fake arrest to kidnap the marketing executive, 33, from the streets of London on March 3 last year before raping and murdering her.
Her grieving family called Sarah “wonderful” and extended “deepest sympathies” to other families who have lost women to violent deaths recently.
They wrote: “It is a year since Sarah died and we remember her today, as every day, with all our love. Our lives have changed forever and we live with the sadness of our loss.
“Sarah was wonderful and we miss her all the time.
“Over the past year we have been overwhelmed with the kindness shown to us, not just by family and friends, but by the wider public. We are immensely grateful to everyone for their support, it has meant such a lot to us and has comforted us through this terrible time.
“Sadly, Sarah is not the only woman to have lost her life recently in violent circumstances and we would like to extend our deepest sympathy to other families who are also grieving.”
Karen Ingala-Smith of Counting Dead Women said that 125 women have been murdered since March 3, 2021.
These include Sabina Nessa, the 28-year-old teacher murdered in south-east London, Julia James, 53, killed while walking her dog in Kent and Ashling Murphy, 23, attacked while out jogging in Ireland.
Sarah’s killer will die behind bars after Lord Justice Fulford imposes a whole life prison, calling the murder “grotesque”.
In February, Cressida Dick resigned as Commissioner of the Met Police, saying she was stepping down after losing the confidence of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
The Mayor told the Standard it is “really important to recognise that women don’t feel safe across our country” and we must “listen to what women and girls are saying”.
