Police chief blasted for ‘insensitive’ comment about Sarah Everard’s murder

A police chief is facing calls to resign after he made an “insensitive” comment about an innocent woman’s murder, killed by one of his fellow officers.

Sarah Everard. Picture: Metropolitan Police/AFP

A UK police chief is facing calls to resign after he made an “appalling” comment about an innocent woman’s murder, at the hands of one of his fellow officers.

Former Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, on Thursday for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

Ms Everard had been walking home from a friend’s house in London in March when she was stopped by Couzens, who had just finished a shift at the US embassy and was wearing his police belt and holding his police ID.

Wayne Couzens speaking to Sarah Everard before she was kidnapped. Picture: Met Police

Couzens falsely arrested Ms Everand on the pretence of breaching coronavirus restrictions, handcuffing her and driving her to the south of England.

Security camera footage showed Couzens holding up his police ID and handcuffing Ms Everard.

A couple driving past in a car witnessed the scene but assumed an undercover police officer was making an arrest.

Ms Everand was then raped and murdered by Couzens, with police finding her burnt remains a week after she was kidnapped.

Sarah Everard was raped and murdered in March. Picture: Metropolitan Police/AFP

Wayne Couzens will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The horrific crime triggered anger and questions about police in the UK, with women saying they’ve lost trust in law enforcement.

And a recent comment from North Yorkshire police commissioner Philip Allott fuelled that anger further when he suggested women “need to be streetwise” about police arresting them.

Speaking on BBC Radio York, Mr Allott said women should be aware breaching coronavirus restrictions was not an indictable offence — one considered serious enough to warrant a prison sentence or a court hearing.

“So women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can't be arrested. She should never have been arrested and submitted to that,” he said.

“Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process”.

The comments were blasted as “appalling” by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

These comments are appalling. It’s not up to women to fix this. It’s not us who need to change. The problem is male violence, not women’s ‘failure’ to find ever more inventive ways to protect ourselves against it. For change to happen, this needs to be accepted by everyone. https://t.co/8oC2c5U9Pj

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 1, 2021

Mr Allott apologised for the comment, admitting it was “insensitive” however the police commissioner is still facing calls to step down.

“The problem is not that they were ‘insensitive’, it is that instead of holding police leadership to account you issued advice to the public that holds victims responsible for preventing police officers abusing their power; advice that was at best useless, and at worst harmful,” Hannah Rose Woods wrote.

“Resign. If you don’t understand the specific problem of police violence against women, then you shouldn’t be in this role,” Ash Sarkar added.

I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for my comments on BBC radio York earlier today, which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.

— Philip Allott (@philAllottPFCC) October 1, 2021

Before Couzens’ sentencing hearing, the Metropolitan Police said they were “sickened, angered and devastated by this man’s crimes, which betray everything we stand for”.

Demonstrators outside the court held banners with slogans criticising the police such as “Met Police Blood On Your Hands” and let off smoke flares.

The government has pledged to improve legislation after Ms Everard’s murder sparked widespread anger at women’s lack of safety in public spaces, as well as low conviction rates for offences including rape, domestic abuse and stalking.

- With AFP