Sarah Everard: Boris Johnson says“no woman should have to fear harassment or violence” in response to Wayne Couzens sentencing

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “no woman should have to fear harassment or violence”, as he said he was “sickened” by the details of Sarah Everard’s murder which emerged during Wayne Couzens’ sentencing hearing.

“There are no words that adequately express the horror of Sarah’s murder. Like the rest of the country, I have been sickened by what we have heard over the course of this sentencing and the pain and suffering endured by her family and friends is truly unimaginable.

“Our police are there to protect us – and I know that officers will share in our shock and devastation at the total betrayal of this duty. People must be able to walk on our streets without fear of harm and with full confidence that the police are there to keep them safe.

“No woman should have to fear harassment or violence. We will do everything possible to prevent these abhorrent crimes and keep our communities safe.”

Sentencing Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard, Lord Justice Fulford said the circumstances of the case are “devastating, tragic and wholly brutal”.

The judge said Ms Everard was “a wholly blameless victim” of a “grotesque” series of offences which culminated in her death and disposal of her body.

The evidence gathered against Couzens was “unanswerable” and there was “no credible innocent explanation” for it, he said.

Couzens went “hunting a lone female to kidnap and rape” having planned in “unspeakably” grim detail, the judge said.

The defendant’s preparations included taking some of his police kit with him and lying to his family about working on the night of the murder, the Old Bailey heard.

The judge paid tribute to the dignity of Ms Everard’s family, whose statements in court revealed the human impact of the “warped, selfish and brutal offending which was both sexual and homicidal.”