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Every police officer in the UK should be re-vetted following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, a former senior Metropolitan Police chief superintendent has said.

Parm Sandhu told Sky News she had “real concerns” more people “with questionable backgrounds” had been missed under current vetting procedures.

She spoke after Couzens was given a whole life order for the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard.

The 48-year-old serving Met officer abducted Ms Everard under the guise of an arrest as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London on 3 March.

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Sarah Everard murder: How it happened

The police watchdog is investigating five officers over claims they traded misogynistic, racist, and homophobic material with Couzens over WhatsApp months before he killed Ms Everard, according to a report in The Times.

Ms Sandhu told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday that Couzens was a “monster in uniform”, but added: “Unfortunately there is a culture where he was allowed to flourish.

“And the WhatsApp group that he was a part of, and other people are, is just one sign of that.”

More on Sarah Everard

“Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them,” she said.

“Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past – it doesn’t have to be a conviction, it just needs to come to notice, because this man did come to notice.

“It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don’t have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.”

She continued: “This man not only got through the vetting after indecency offences in 2015, in 2018 he was taken into the Met – he was then given a gun to carry on the streets of London, so that was another form of vetting.”

Wayne Couzens
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Wayne Couzens was given a whole life order for the murder of Ms Everard

Ms Everard’s case has led to calls for Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to step down in light of the erosion of trust in the force.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative party leader told Sky News it is time for a “new broom” in the Metropolitan Police and said there were “issues here about leadership and focus”.

He added: “The idea that a man can flash as a police officer … and people think it’s funny. I think that’s the thing that’s really failed. Why in hell’s name wasn’t he [Wayne Couzens] immediately reported, suspended at least pending full investigation, or sacked.”

It has also since emerged that Couzens was deployed to the Parliamentary Estate five times last year.

The Commons Speaker is seeking urgent talks with Commissioner Dick following the revelation.

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Watch Met Police commissioner’s apology

Ms Sandhu said the only way to rebuild public trust would be if everyone working in policing was re-vetted, and also called for an independent inquiry.

“I believe there are other individuals who have got questionable backgrounds who should be being looked at, not just in the Met but right up and down the country, and I think we have missed that,” she said.

“Instead of looking backwards, we should be looking forward and making sure those individuals are being targeted now.”

This process should be repeated on a “regular basis”, she added.

It comes as Police Scotland introduced a “simple” verification check for lone officers, to provide reassurance to the public they are genuine.

Are women safe on our streets?
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Are women safe on our streets?

Are women safe on our streets?

The murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer has triggered an outpouring of concern over women’s safety in the UK.

We want you to share your experiences, and your questions for our panel of experts. We’d also love to hear your solutions.

Email thegreatdebate@sky.uk to get involved.

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby – as two men arrested

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby - as two men arrested

Two men have been arrested after a customer was stabbed to death inside a Lloyds bank.

The victim – a man in his 30s – was attacked at the branch in St Peter’s Street, Derby, at around 2.35pm on Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, Derbyshire Police said.

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man in his 30s is being held on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody.

They were detained around 6pm at the same property in Western Road, Normanton.

Detective Inspector Tony Owen said: “No one else was hurt and while the investigation is at an early stage, at this time we are treating it as an isolated incident.”

The victim has not yet been formally identified, but police said his family had been made aware.

Read more from Sky News:
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A Lloyds spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Derby branch and our thoughts are with those affected.

“We are supporting our colleagues during this difficult time and will co-operate closely with the police.”

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Should some women offenders be spared jail? Female inmates reveal impact of prison

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Should some women offenders be spared jail? Female inmates reveal impact of prison

“Good luck, because it’s a shithole here,” a prisoner shouts as we walk around the grounds at HMP Foston Hall.

Other inmates described this women’s prison in Derbyshire as a “holiday camp”, even “rehab”.

There was no one homogenous view, but there is also not one type of prisoner here – it is home to both murderers and shoplifters.

We’ve come to talk to people ahead of the publication of the sentencing review in the coming days. It’s likely to recommend the scrapping of short sentences for some lower-level crimes, and suggest prison isn’t the best place to punish certain “vulnerable” groups of offenders, including women.

“My kind of theft, I nick chocolate from shops,” inmate Connie Parsons told us as we gathered in her cell.

She’s been convicted of shoplifting nine times and says she’s been in and out of prison since she was 15 years old.

“I normally only get four weeks, three weeks, two weeks. It’s a constant cycle of going out, committing crime,” she said.

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Connie Parsons
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Connie has a teenage son but hasn’t seen him for years

At points, Parsons has been homeless and addicted to drugs.

“I used to just come to prison before to have a little lie down and get myself well… to keep myself safe,” she said. “But this prison, you’re not safe… I never self-harmed before I came to this prison. And now I self-harm quite a lot.”

She has a young teenage son on the outside. “I know this might sound harsh, but I think it’s got to the point now I don’t know what to miss about him. But I think about him every single day,” she said.

‘For lots of women, prison is the right place to be’

We put Parsons’ case to the prisons minister, Lord Timpson, who said it was “really sad to hear”, adding he sees “lots of people like Connie” in the prison system.

Pressed on how some will view Parsons as a repeat offender, perhaps deserving of prison, Lord Timpson said: “For lots of women, prison is the right place to be, but where there are certain circumstances, for example non-violent offences for women… you need to work out what is the right path to make sure they don’t commit further crime.”

Lord Timpson said for someone like Parsons, he’d like to see the use of an intensive supervision court or as he called it “problem-solving court”. These work by judges monitoring the progress of offenders on community sentences, offering “wraparound” support, including housing, help for addiction issues and mental health.

Tilat Ajmal
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Tilat Ajmal served less than three months


Prisoner leaves with jail on her CV

“I had a job, I ain’t got a job now,” said Tilat Ajmal.

Before she went to prison, Ajmal worked for the NHS as a cleaner for 18 years.

As we filmed, she was leaving jail after serving less than three months for smuggling an item into prison while visiting someone. It was her first offence.

Her bags were packed, and in them was a CV she’d prepared. But she didn’t seem hopeful.

“I think it’s a bit bad having a conviction, I’ve been working all my life,” she said.

“As soon as coming out of them gates, I think you just have hundreds and thousands of things going through your head.”

‘Just enough time to rip their lives apart’

After we filmed at the prison, Sky News joined a support session at a women’s centre in Nottingham. It offers mandatory services to people serving sentences in the community, and also those on probation or licence periods.

I asked a case worker to explain why certain women offenders should be considered unique in the criminal justice system.

“I think what happens when a man goes to prison is that there is usually a woman holding everything together,” said Rachel Strong.

“He will be released from prison, his home will still be there, his family. He may have lost his job but there will be someone there. He will come out to his support network in place.

“That woman is that support network – so when she goes to prison, there’s nobody holding that together. People will lose their homes, sometimes their children are taken into care.

“Usually when women are sent to prison it’s for short sentences. Not enough time for anything productive, just enough time to rip their lives apart.”

Donna Pritchards
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Donna Pritchards

‘It’s like rehab’

“I don’t mind prison, it’s like rehab,” said Donna Pritchards, who has been to HMP Foston Hall three times.

“I know you get clean when you’re here, and I needed it.”

Drugs are ‘main issue’ in prison

Others told us it was “easy” to get hold of drugs inside jail, with one prisoner describing some leading a “life of luxury”, with jail being like a “holiday camp”.

Amanda Brewer, drug strategy lead, told us: “Illicit drugs are our main issue day to day in everything that we do.

“They’re the main drivers for violence, they can cause self-harm issues, they cause vulnerability.”

Prisoners are also “trading” prescription drugs between one another.

‘Prison is not a nice place to be’

As the government explores greater use of alternatives to custody and scrapping certain short prison sentences, I asked the prisons minister whether criminals might see their approach as a “soft touch”.

“Prison is not a nice place to be,” said Lord Timpson, “but they need to turn their lives around there.”

The government commissioned the sentencing review alongside the creation of the Women’s Justice Board because they have an overcrowding crisis across the prison estate. But they also fundamentally believe prison isn’t the best form of punishment for certain types of offenders.

Women offenders in England and Wales are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the recommendations made in the review.

That’s because we expect it to suggest the scrapping of certain short sentences. In 2022, the Prison Reform Trust found over half (58%) of terms given to women were for less than six months.

Women are also considered by ministers to be a “vulnerable” group, with prison having a knock-on impact on their lives and potential for reoffending. Many report being a victim of crimes like domestic abuse, and 55% of female prisoners are mothers.

After two days of rare and unique access to different parts of the criminal justice system, it’s clear many feel prison isn’t working for female offenders. But what exactly a greater use of alternatives to custody looks like will take some time to figure out.

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The King and Queen unveil new portraits commemorating their coronation

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The King and Queen unveil new portraits commemorating their coronation

New portraits of the King and Queen, commissioned to commemorate their coronation in 2023, have been unveiled.

The two separate full-length paintings of Charles and Camilla were made by artists Peter Kuhfeld and Paul Benny, respectively.

King Charles and Queen Camilla unveil their official Coronation State Portraits during a visit to the National Gallery.
Pic Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

The artists were personally chosen by the King and Queen, who were joined at the unveiling by Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopes.

Mr Kuhfeld, who has known the monarch for more than 40 years, added he hopes his depiction of Charles captured both “the man and the King”.

Mr Benny also said about the Queen: “She said nothing but wonderful things about it, more importantly Laura liked it – you know when the kids like it, you’re probably on the right track.”

Pic: PA PORTRAIT
Pic: PA PORTRAIT
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Pics: PA

Their portraits will be hung in the National Gallery until 5 June, before moving to their permanent home in Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room.

On 6 May two years ago, the monarch and his wife were crowned at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony watched by millions.

More on King’s Coronation

Charles, 76, was the country’s longest-serving heir to the throne, ascending after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

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He vowed at the time: “That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

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