Murder of Sarah Everard was ‘monumental moment’ for Met Police, detective says

A Metropolitan Police detective who led the investigation into the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer has described the case as a “monumental moment” for the force.

Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin led the manhunt for the murderer of Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by then-serving Met officer Wayne Couzens over the course of March 3 and 4 2021.

Det Supt Goodwin was decorated with the King’s Police Medal by King Charles III during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

Asked about her work on the Everard case, she told the PA news agency: “To a certain extent, it feels like it was a while ago, but of course it wasn’t.

“It was a monumental moment for so many officers and staff in the Met who just felt absolutely let down by the behaviour of him (Wayne Couzens).

“It really felt like a big driver for change.

“Of course, as we all know, there’s still more to do,” Det Supt Goodwin added.

“We’ve just got to do what we can do honour Sarah’s memory.”

She described receiving the King’s Police Medal as a “humbling” experience, adding: “It’s really tricky because it’s a job that I love, and I’ve always tried to do my best for the public in, so it’s really nice to be recognised for that.

“But by lots of things it’s a team work, and there’s lots of other people whom I’d like to have with me to say thank you, who I’ve worked with over the years.”

Couzens was sentenced to a whole-life order for the murder of Ms Everard in September 2021.

The case raised concerns over the vetting of Met police officers and a culture of misogyny within the force, with Louise Casey’s 2023 review finding it “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic”.

Earlier this year, the Angiolini Inquiry launched a workforce survey for those serving across police forces in England and Wales a year after its first report revealed Couzens should never have been given a job as a police officer.

It found chances to stop the sexual predator were repeatedly ignored and missed, and inquiry chairwoman Lady Elish Angiolini warned without a radical overhaul of policing practices and culture, there is “nothing to stop another Couzens operating in plain sight”.

In March this year, Ms Everard’s parents, Jeremy and Susan Everard, also began campaigning for tougher sentencing for serious violent and sexual criminals as part of a new group called Justice for Victims.