Mother remembers how Sarah Everard ‘added to the beauty of the world’

The mother of Sarah Everard has remembered how she “added to the beauty of the world”, five years on from her death.

Susan Everard wrote a tribute piece for British Vogue, in which she remembered her daughter’s love of travel, dancing, and her sense of humour, as well as her principled nature.

Miss Everard was photographed by Vogue at V Festival in 2010, as part of a street fashion series by the magazine, something her mother said she was “thrilled” to feature in.

She wrote: “It was 2010 when the photograph was taken and, although it is bittersweet, I love to see her, happy and beautiful, with her whole life ahead of her.

“It was a golden time when she had recently graduated and was back home from travels to south-east Asia and already making plans for future adventures.”

She said the marketing executive had loved to travel, spending time in South America, South Africa and Nepal.

“She was interested in the world around her and made the most of life. There was a depth to her, she led her life with decency and integrity,” Mrs Everard wrote.

“She cared about others and worried about us in the pandemic.

“She had a large network of friends who were dear to her; we meet up with them now to celebrate her.

“I miss the goodness of Sarah: she was thoughtful and dependable and highly principled.”

She remembered how funny her daughter was, describes her as “a beautiful dancer”, and says she misses little things like swapping recipes with her.

“Most of all, she was a loving and caring young woman; her many friendships are a testament to her lovely nature. She added to the beauty of the world,” her mother wrote.

Susan Everard’s tribute was published as Britain’s most senior police officer Sir Mark Rowley, hailed the family’s “extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief” on the fifth anniversary of Sarah’s murder.

Miss Everard, 33, was raped and killed by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, who tricked her into thinking she could be arrested for breaking Covid lockdown rules as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3 2021.

In a statement issued by the force, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark said: “Sarah Everard should still be here.

“Five years have passed since her senseless and devastating murder.

“What happened to her was a profound betrayal: of her, of her family and loved ones, and of every person who places their trust in policing.”

He said the fact that she was killed by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, was “as devastating today as it was in 2021”.

“It was an unthinkable abuse of power and a total violation of the values that the Met, and policing, stands for.

“On the day I heard what he had done, I felt devastated for the immense harm his actions caused to the trust that underpins our relationship with the communities we serve.

“What he did shook policing to its core. It made decent, dedicated officers and staff across the country furious that one of our own could commit such a monstrous crime.

“We will always be deeply sorry: for the unimaginable harm done to Sarah, for the trauma endured by her family – who have shown extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief – and for the profound damage inflicted on the trust Londoners should be able to place in their police service.”

Couzens was given a whole-life jail term at the end of his Old Bailey trial in September 2021, and the powerful victim impact statement made by Ms Everard’s mother led to the unmasking of another predator hiding in the ranks of the Met.

One of the victims of David Carrick was moved to come forward and make a report to the police, which eventually led to his conviction as a serial rapist.

The cases led to two damning reviews – one a report by Baroness Louise Casey in March 2023 that found the Met was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.

Then an inquiry by Dame Elish Angiolini in February 2024 concluded that the Met and two other police forces could and should have stopped Couzens being a police officer.

Sir Mark spearheaded efforts to clean up the Met, with 1,500 officers and staff having been sacked, resigned or retired in the past three years.

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said there is “much more work to do” to ensure women and girls feel safe in the capital, and that he would do “everything in my power to help end violence against women and girls as we continue to build a safer London for everyone”.

Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said: “Five years on from Sarah Everard’s tragic murder, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her.

“I will do everything I can to ensure women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so cruelly denied.”

The full piece by Susan Everard can be read on British Vogue at vogue.co.uk/article/susan-everard-sarah-tribute.