Susan Everard has paid tribute to her daughter Sarah, who was murdered five years ago, describing her as a woman who “added to the beauty of the world”. Writing in British Vogue, she recalled Sarah’s humour, principles, and love of fashion, saying she had “her whole life ahead of her” when a picture was taken at V festival in 2010.
Susan Everard spoke of the small things she misses, such as swapping recipes, asking for advice, and hearing her daughter’s laugh. She described Sarah as “thoughtful, dependable and highly principled”, with a keen sense of injustice. She also noted that due to the Covid-19 lockdown, she had only seen Sarah’s Brixton Hill home on video before clearing it after her death, where she saw how “cleverly she had styled it”.
Sarah Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by off-duty Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens in March 2021. Couzens is serving a whole-life order. The case exposed failings in police vetting and sparked widespread concern about violence against women.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley acknowledged that five years on, some women still do not trust the police, but said progress is being made to “root out” dangerous officers. Women’s Aid chief executive Farah Nazeer said the murder “exposed entrenched misogyny within the police force” and called for more action.
