Wayne Couzens was a serving Metropolitan Police officer when he committed the offenses of kidnap, rape and murder against Sarah Everard in London in March 2021. She was the only victim. He pleaded guilty to all three, and on September 30, 2021 the Central Criminal Court sentenced him to imprisonment for life with a whole life order, which means he can never be released. The Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge to that order in July 2022.
Couzens was a serving constable in the Metropolitan Police at the time of the offenses. The sentencing judge recorded the prosecution's position that the offenses were committed by a serving police constable acting as if on duty, and found that he used his position as a police officer to carry them out.
The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court in London, the Old Bailey. On June 8, 2021 Couzens pleaded guilty there to kidnap and rape, and he was not asked to enter a plea to murder on that occasion. On July 9, 2021 he pleaded guilty to murder.
The sentencing judge passed sentence on September 30, 2021. On the count of murder he said: "on the count of murder you will be imprisoned for life and the tariff is a whole life order." On the counts of kidnap and rape he said: "on those counts I impose no separate penalty."
Couzens sought to challenge the whole life order. On July 29, 2022 the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), sitting as a court of five judges and presided over by the Lord Chief Justice, granted leave to appeal and dismissed the appeal. The judgment dealt with his case together with the sentence appeals of four other offenders.
At the Central Criminal Court on March 6, 2023, Couzens, having pleaded guilty to three offenses of indecent exposure, was sentenced to 19 months' imprisonment in total. The judge stated that the sentence would not affect the whole life term and that he would never be released from it.
An independent statutory inquiry later examined the circumstances. Its first report, the Angiolini Inquiry Part 1 report, was published on February 29, 2024. Its second, The Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 first report: prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public, was published by the Home Office on December 2, 2025.
In March 2023 the court recorded that Couzens was serving a whole life sentence in England. His conviction rests on his own guilty pleas.
None. The offenses were admitted by guilty plea, and the whole life order was upheld on appeal.
March 2021: the offenses take place in London.
June 8, 2021: guilty pleas to kidnap and rape at the Central Criminal Court.
July 9, 2021: guilty plea to murder.
September 30, 2021: imprisonment for life with a whole life order; no separate penalty for kidnap and rape.
July 29, 2022: Court of Appeal dismisses the appeal.
March 6, 2023: 19 months for three offenses of exposure, with the whole life order unaffected.
February 29, 2024: Angiolini Inquiry Part 1 report published.
December 2, 2025: Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 first report published.