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Associated Press

A British police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of a woman as she walked home in south London and whose body was found a week later in the woods.
A court at London’s Old Bailey heard Tuesday that Wayne Couzens, 48, accepted responsibility for the death of Sarah Everard though he was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of murder.
Members of Everard’s family sat in court to witness the defendant enter his pleas.
Medical reports about the Metropolitan Police officer, who appeared by video link from Belmarsh prison, are being prepared. A further hearing before the judge, Adrian Fulford, will take place on July 9.
Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on March 3.

A major police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later in a woodland in the county of Kent, more than 50 miles (80 kilometres) southeast of London.
Everard’s disappearance and killing caused a nationwide outcry, with women sharing experiences of being threatened or attacked — or simply facing the everyday fear of violence when walking alone.
The outcry was clearly evident during an unauthorised vigil on Clapham Common on March 14 that had been banned because of coronavirus restrictions.
London police chief Cressida Dick defies calls to resign over Sarah Everard vigil clashes
During the gathering, Metropolitan Police officers grabbed hold of several women and pulled them away in handcuffs to screaming and shouting from onlookers. The actions of the police were widely condemned.
The Metropolitan Police force has expressed shock and horror at Everard’s killing. Couzens joined its ranks in 2018 and had most recently served in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, an armed unit responsible for guarding embassies in the capital and Parliament.


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Britain

Police officer admits kidnapping and raping British woman Sarah Everard

Sarah Everard went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on March 3. Photo: Metropolitan Police / AFP

FILE - In this Saturday, March 20, 2021 file photo, floral tributes and messages are placed at the bandstand on Clapham Common in London. A British police officer on Tuesday June 8, 2021, pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of a woman as she walked home in south London and whose body was found a week later in the woods. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

British policeman Wayne Couzens charged with kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard

Sarah Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3. Photo: Metropolitan Police handout via AFP

British police officers conduct a search behind a house near London during the hunt for Sarah Everard. Photo: Reuters

London police chief Cressida Dick defies calls to resign over Sarah Everard vigil clashes

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick. Photo: Reuters

CORRECTION / An undated handout picture released by the Metropolitan Police on March 10, 2021, shows missing Sarah Everard who went missing in south London on the night of March 3. - A police officer in London's diplomatic protection force was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder following the disappearance of a 33-year-old woman while she was walking home, police said. The arrest follow a week-long investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard, who vanished while walking home from a friend's flat in south London on the evening of March 3. (Photo by - / METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / METROPOLITAN POLICE " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by - has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS WERE ADDED TO THE USE OF THESE PICTURES: RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATO

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Secretary of State of the Home Department Priti Patel speaks to the media at Westminster, in London, Britain, January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

14 March 2021, United Kingdom, London: Floral tributes are left at the Bandstand on Clapham Common, a day after clashes between police and crowds who gathered at the site to remember Sarah Everard. The Metropolitan Police has faced intense criticism for its handling of the vigil, with officers accused of "grabbing and manhandling" women during clashes with the crowd. Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Wire/dpa

People face off police officers during a protest at Parliament Square, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 14, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Sarah Everard case: elite UK police officer suspected of murder

CCTV footage of Sarah Everard in south London. Photo: AFP

10 March 2021, United Kingdom, Ashford: Police officers search a property near Great Chart Golf and Leisure Park. A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Sarah Everard who has been missing for a week. The 33-year-old disappeared on Wednesday 03 March after leaving a friend's house in Clapham, south London. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

An undated handout picture released by the Metropolitan Police on March 10, 2021, shows missing Sarah Everard who went missing in south London on the might of March 3. - A police officer in London's diplomatic protection force was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder following the disappearance of a 33-year-old woman while she was walking home, police said. The arrest follow a week-long investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard, who vanished while walking home from a friend's flat in south London on the evening of March 3. (Photo by - / METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP)

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Wayne Couzens accepted responsibility for the woman’s death but he was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of murder
Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on March 3



A court at London’s Old Bailey heard that Wayne Couzens, 48, accepted responsibility for the death of Sarah Everard though he was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of murder.


Crime

Sexual harassment and assault