LONDON (AP) — A British police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of a woman as she walked home in south London and whose body was found a week later in the woods.
A court at London’s Old Bailey heard Tuesday that Wayne Couzens, 48, accepted responsibility for the death of Sarah Everard though he was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of murder.
Members of Everard’s family sat in court to witness the defendant enter his pleas.
Medical reports about the Metropolitan Police officer, who appeared by video link from Belmarsh prison, are being prepared. A further hearing before the judge, Adrian Fulford, will take place July 9.
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. A major police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later in a woodland in the county of Kent, more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of London.
Everard’s disappearance and killing caused a nationwide outcry, with women sharing experiences of being threatened or attacked — or simply facing the everyday fear of violence when walking alone.
The outcry was clearly evident during an unauthorized vigil on Clapham Common on March 14 that had been banned because of coronavirus restrictions. During the gathering, Metropolitan Police officers grabbed hold of several women and pulled them away in handcuffs to screaming and shouting from onlookers. The actions of the police were widely condemned.
The Metropolitan Police force has expressed shock and horror at Everard’s killing. Couzens joined its ranks in 2018 and had most recently served in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, an armed unit responsible for guarding embassies in the capital and Parliament.
Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Sarah Everard who has been missing for over a week. The 33-year-old disappeared on Wednesday March 3, 2021 after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, and began walking to her home in Brixton. The Met Police have said that a serving diplomatic protection officer is being held over the disappearance of Sarah Everard. The officer being held is understood to be the subject of a separate allegation of indecent exposure. (Metropolitan Police via AP) 
FILE – In this Saturday, March 20, 2021 file photo, floral tributes and messages are placed at the bandstand on Clapham Common in London. A British police officer on Tuesday June 8, 2021, pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of a woman as she walked home in south London and whose body was found a week later in the woods. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File) 
Floral tributes and candles placed at the bandstand on Clapham Common, London, Monday March 15, 2021. On Saturday hundreds of people disregarded a judge’s ruling and police requests by gathering at Clapham Common in honor of Sarah Everard. Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend’s apartment and was found dead a week later. The slaying sent shockwaves across the U.K. because a Metropolitan Police officer is charged with her kidnapping and murder. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) 
Floral tributes are placed at the bandstand in Clapham Common in London, Sunday, March 14, 2021 in memory of Sarah Everard who was abducted and murdered after last being seen walking home from a friend’s apartment in south London on the night of March 3. London’s Metropolitan Police was under heavy pressure Sunday to explain its actions during a vigil for a woman whom one of the force’s own officers is accused of murdering. Hundreds defied coronavirus restrictions to gather and protest violence against women, but the event ended with clashes between police and those attending. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) 
A missing sign outside Poynders Court on the A205 in Clapham, London Wednesday March 10, 2021 during the continuing search for Sarah Everard who has been missing for a week. The 33-year-old disappeared on Wednesday March 3 after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, and began walking to her home in Brixton. The Met Police have said that a serving diplomatic protection officer is being held over the disappearance of Sarah Everard. The officer being held is understood to be the subject of a separate allegation of indecent exposure. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP) 
Police outside a house where they have erected a boundary wall during their investigations, and unidentified human remains have been found in a nearby woodland, during the police hunt for missing woman Sarah Everard, in Deal, southern England, Friday March 12, 2021. The Met Police have said that a serving diplomatic protection officer is being held over the disappearance of Sarah Everard. The officer being held is understood to be the subject of a separate allegation of indecent exposure. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP) 
A forensic officer leaves a house in Freemens Way, in connection with missing woman Sarah Everard, in Deal, England, Wednesday March 10, 2021. Britain’s Metropolitan police says an officer has been arrested in connection with the case of a woman who went missing in London last week. The force said the fact that the man is a serving police officer is “shocking and deeply disturbing.” Police said the officer was arrested late Tuesday in Kent, southeast of London, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) 
Police outside a house where they have erected a boundary wall during their investigations, and unidentified human remains have been found in a nearby woodland, during the hunt for missing woman Sarah Everard, in Deal, southern England, Friday March 12, 2021. The Met Police have said that a serving diplomatic protection officer is being held over the disappearance of Sarah Everard. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP) 
Police officers conduct a search in an area of woodland in Ashford, south east England, Thursday March 11, 2021, following the discovery of human remains in the hunt for missing woman Sarah Everard. Britain’s Metropolitan police says an officer has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murder in connection with the case of a woman who went missing in London last week. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP) 
People gather and turn on their phone torches in Clapham Common, despite the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard being officially cancelled, in London, Saturday, March 13, 2021. A serving British police officer accused of the kidnap and murder of a woman in London has appeared in court for the first time. Wayne Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and killing 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s apartment in south London on March 3. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP) 
People gather, at the band stand in Clapham Common, in memory of Sarah Everard, after an official vigil was cancelled, in London, Saturday, March 13, 2021. A serving British police officer accused of the kidnap and murder of a woman in London has appeared in court for the first time. Wayne Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and killing 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s apartment in south London on March 3. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
