MONSTER IN THE RANKS
‘Another Wayne Couzens could be hiding in plain sight,’ report finds as eight times he was reported to cops are revealed
The damning report also revealed how Couzens raped two women
AN INQUIRY has found without a radical overhaul of policing practices and culture there is "nothing to stop another Wayne Couzens operating in plain sight".
Couzens' history of alleged sexual offending went back nearly 20 years before he committed Sarah Everard's murder, according to the Angiolini Inquiry.
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The report set out how red flags, including eight times he was reported to cops, were missed as Couzens served with three different police forces across several years.
Inquiry chairwoman Lady Elish Angiolini warned: "Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer.
"And, without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Couzens operating in plain sight.";
He is accused of having sexually assaulted a girl, barely in her teens, while he was in his early 20s before he joined Kent Police as a special constable in 2006.
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The damning report also reveals...
- Couzens allegedly carried out a "very serious sexual assault" on a young girl while he was in his 20s
- He was also accused of attempting to kidnap a woman at knifepoint in North London back in 1995
- The father-of-two was further accused by two women of raping them
- One of the complainants alleged Couzens attacked her between late 2006 and early 2007 during a singles dating event at an East London bar
- The other claimed she was raped by Couzens under a bridge in London in October 2019
- In the summer of that year a man in drag wearing a blonde wig claimed Couzens inappropriately touched him in a Kent bar
The inquiry team found there were instances where he showed extreme violent indecent videos to friends and police colleagues, in a move to test their boundaries.
He was also found to have sent unsolicited images of his genitals to women, was accused of sexual touching and there are claims he possessed indecent images of children.
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The inquiry found he paid women online to masturbate on clothes and send them to him.
Both Kent and the Metropolitan Police were criticised for inadequate investigations into claims of indecent exposure against Couzens.
There was a series of incidents where he was accused of flashing - three of which he was sentenced for last year, despite already having received a whole life jail term for Sarah's murder.
These were masturbating in front of a lone female cyclist in a Kent country lane in 2020, and twice exposing his genitals to staff at a fast-food restaurant in February 2021 in the days before Sarah's murder.
3 chilling ways Wayne Couzens exposed guilt at raping and murdering Sarah Everard as killer cop lied to police
He drove his own car and used his own credit card at the outlet but no action was taken at the time, with investigating officer Pc Samantha Lee later sacked for failing to investigate properly.
Another two similar incidents at the fast-food restaurant were ordered to lie on file, and there were two incidents in 2008 and 2021 that were reported to the Met and Kent Police respectively at the time when Couzens allegedly exposed himself, but there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
In 2015, a member of the public reported having seen a man driving around in Kent with his genitalia exposed, giving the make, model, colour and registration number of the car.
Couzens was identified as the keeper of the car but Kent Police closed the investigation with no further action and without even speaking to him.
Lady Elish Angiolini said: "This was a grave error and a very obvious red flag.
"By failing to properly investigate the allegation, Kent Police missed a valuable opportunity to disrupt or even prevent Couzens's future offending and to bring into question his position as an authorised firearms officer with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary."
A further incident where Couzens was allegedly seen masturbating with intent to shock a passerby in 2004 was reported to the Met after Sarah's murder, but there was not enough evidence to bring a charge.
Lady Elish called for indecent exposure to be taken more seriously and for victims to be encouraged to report crimes.
"The inquiry was struck by the similarities in approach between the investigations in relation to the June 2015 allegation and the 2021 drive-through restaurant offences.
"Both seemed destined to fail from the start, involving poor recording and decision-making and lacking the positive steps that could potentially have led to the identification of the suspect and detection of the crime.
"Rather than embarking on a process of detailed, thorough and time-consuming evidence gathering, the officers displayed apathy and disinterest and found reasons not to pursue the cases."
Lady Elish has called for an immediate review of indecent exposure allegations against serving police officers.
The inquiry said Couzens made "hunting trips" while driving around London before Sarah's murder, including one of the indecent exposure incidents at the fast-food restaurant.
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It found there was "a trajectory of escalating risk of contact sexual violence by Couzens", and such crimes should be considered by investigators or those doing vetting as a red flag.
Kent Police said: "We accept our investigation into a 2015 incident of indecent exposure was flawed due to it being allocated to an officer who was not a trained investigator, and apologise for this failing."
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TIMELINE OF OFFENCES AND ALLEGED OFFENCES
- 1995: Alleged attempted kidnap at knifepoint in north London. The incident was reported to police on the day it occurred but the perpetrator was not caught. The victim recontacted police after Couzens' arrest in 2021. Couzens was arrested for the alleged offence but no further action was taken due to "evidential difficulties".
- Early spring 2003: Couzens is alleged to have blocked the path of a woman while in the Territorial Army. He was "intimidating" and made her feel "deeply uncomfortable".
- 2003: While in the TA Couzens is alleged to have behaved in an intimidating manner towards a woman at an event for reservists. The woman did not report it at the time but contacted police after seeing Couzens on the news in 2021.
- 2004: Couzens is alleged to have shown pornographic videos to a group of reservists in a social setting. The videos gradually became more violent and then included bestiality. The incident was reported after Couzens' arrest in 2021 and Couzens was arrested. No further action was taken due to "evidential difficulties".
- Summer 2004: Masturbating with intent to shock a passerby while driving. Reported after 9 March 2021, interviewed 23 March 2022. Not charged - insufficient evidence. He was reported to have masturbated in a passing car and staring directly at a teenage girl.
- Between November 2006 and January 2007: Couzens allegedly raped a woman during a singles event linked to a dating website at a bar in East London. No further action was taken as there was insufficient evidence.
- Between 2006 and 2010: While serving with the Kent Special Constabulary, Couzens allegedly left six photographs of his penis on a young female colleague's phone. When confronted, he laughed it off.
- Between 2006 and 2010: While serving with the Kent Special Constabulary, he applied a plaster to the leg of a woman and made her feel "extremely uncomfortable".
- Between 2006 and 2010: While serving with the Kent Special Constabulary, Couzens allegedly sexually assaulted a young woman in the rear of a car on the way back from a social event. He is alleged to have put his hand up the victim's skirt.
- November 21, 2008: Masturbating with intent to shock a passerby while on foot. Reported 21 November 2008 to the Met police. Interviewed 23 March 2022. Not charged - insufficient evidence. A woman pushing a child in a pram heard a man say "hello" and turned to see a man masturbating with his trousers around his ankles.
- June 9, 2015: Exposed erect penis while driving in town centre. Reported 9 June 2015. Interviewed 23 March 2022. Charged 19 August 2022, case ordered to lie on file following not guilty plea.
- March - October 2019: Couzens was part of a WhatsApp group with six other officers and exchanged "wholly inappropriate and grossly offensive" messages.
- Summer 2019: Couzens is alleged to have assaulted a man, who was in drag and wearing a blonde wig, while at a bar in Kent. The alleged suspect touched the victim inappropriately then told him he was a police officer. The report was made after Couzens' arrest in 2021.
- October 2019: Couzens is alleged to have raped a woman in a tunnel under a bridge in London. It was reported to police in March 2020 but no suspect was identified and the case was closed. The victim contacted police again after Couzens' arrest in 2021. No further action was taken due to evidential difficulties.
- November 13, 2020: Masturbating while standing next to woodland with intent to shock a passing cyclist. Reported 13 November 2020 to Kent Police. Interviewed 23 March 2022. Charged 19 August 2022. Sentenced on 6 March 2023 to 19 months imprisonment following guilty plea.
- October - December 2020: Couzens messaged women who were selling items online and asked them to masturbate in them before sending them to him.
- December 4, 2020: Couzens is alleged to have ‘cyberflashed’ one of the online vendors who was selling him women’s clothing. It was not reported to police.
- December 2020: Couzens is seen in him home town wearing a belt with police gear including handcuffs, a baton, and pepper spray. He told a witness that he was an undercover police officer.
- February 3, 2021: Exposed erect penis with intent to shock a passerby while on foot. A woman reported seeing a man near bushes with his erect penis exposed. Reported on 3 February 2021 to Kent police. Interviewed 23 March 2022. Not charged - insufficient evidence.
- Between January 22 and February 1, 2021: Exposed erect penis with intent to shock a female employee at drive-through restaurant. Reported 28 February 2021 to the Met police. Charged 18 March 2022, case ordered to lie on file following not guilty plea.
- February 14, 2021: Exposed erect penis with intent to shock a female employee at a drive-through restaurant. Reported 28 February 2021 to the Met police. Charged 18 March 2022. Case ordered to lie on file following not guilty plea.
- February 27, 2021: Exposed erect penis with intent to shock a female employee at drive-through restaurant. Reported to Met police on 28 February 2021. Charged 18 March 2022 and sentenced to six months imprisonment following a guilty plea.
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