Connect with us

Published

on

A woman arrested at a vigil for murdered Sarah Everard has told Sky News the Metropolitan Police hasn’t changed since and “there’s other Wayne Couzens in the Met right now”.

Patsy Stevenson, a campaigner and equal rights activist, was speaking after an inquiry said on Thursday that Wayne Couzens, the serving Met officer who murdered Ms Everard in 2021, should never have been allowed to join the force.

Major red flags about Couzens were “repeatedly ignored” by police vetting and investigations, the report stated, including his taste for “extreme and violent pornography” and evidence he allegedly committed a “very serious sexual assault against a child” before his policing career even began.

Patsy Stevenson was arrested while attending a vigil for Sarah Everard
Image:
Patsy Stevenson was arrested while attending a vigil for Sarah Everard. Pic: Reuters

Ms Stevenson told The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee, she was “exhausted” of hearing words like ‘urgent’, ‘shocked’ and ‘sorry’ in relation to police reform.

She said: “Three years ago we had this sort of promise of we’re going to vet them correctly, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that. And it’s still not happened in that time.

“We’ve had David Carrick, we’ve had Cliff Mitchell. We’ve had so many others. You know, you type in ‘Met Police rapists’ on Google, there’s just so many of them, which is ridiculous and abhorrent.”

Mandatory Credit: Photo by James Veysey/Shutterstock (11798757w)
A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard. Patsy Stevenson
Sarah Everard vigil, Clapham, London, UK - 13 Mar 2021
Image:
Patsy Sevenson was arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard. Pic: James Veysey/Shutterstock

Both Carrick and Mitchell are former Met officers and convicted sex offenders, both found guilty of multiple rapes.

More on David Carrick

Ms Stevenson said officers had told her, if they suspected a colleague of having the wrong attitude to women, they wouldn’t say anything about it for fear of getting them in trouble.

She said: “You know that there’s police that would say those things, who view women a certain way, and you still don’t say anything because that’s what it’s about.

“It’s not just whether they make a comment or whether they do something. It’s a mindset right now, 100%. There’s other Wayne Cousins in the Met right now.

Wayne Couzens
Image:
Wayne Couzens. Pic: PA

“All policing systems still have this culture of misogyny, racism, homophobia and there’s not enough space for people to speak up about it when they are in that system. And protection for those people who do speak up.

“But also, we’re not dealing with the actual culture. If you’re objectifying women, that’s misogyny. If you have those thoughts in your head already, you’re already on that path.

“These people that are murdering and raping women aren’t some horror movie character hiding down an alleyway. Wayne Couzens had a family… you may think you can trust them, but they can be very manipulative. You don’t know who these people are.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Couzens was careful to disguise toxic behaviours’

The former firearms officer will never be released from prison after he used his police-issued warrant card to stage a fake arrest and snatch Sarah Everard in Clapham, south London, on 3 March 2021.

He drove the 33-year-old marketing executive to a secluded rural area near Dover in Kent, raped and strangled her with his police-issue belt before burning her body in a fridge and dumping her remains in a pond.

Read more:
How Sarah Everard’s killer was caught
Timeline: Wayne Couzen’s behaviour and crimes

‘Shameful’ report exposes wider issues

Asked if women are safe with police, Ms Stevenson’s answer was unequivocal.

She said: “I personally believe that women shouldn’t trust the police. I wish we could. We hear the rhetoric of, you know, well, ‘who else are you going to go to’? Nobody. There isn’t anyone right now. And that’s a scary thought. There is nobody that women and girls trust when things go bad.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sarah Everard protesters’ tearful reunion

Ms Stevenson said she found it hard to discuss the moment of her arrest.

Pictures of her being pinned down by officers at the event in March 2021, widely seen at the time, “still spark emotions in me. I still have nightmares about what happened to me.

“I know that growing up in this world, they [women] can’t trust police, they can’t walk down the road without fear. It feels like we’re a second-class citizen at the moment.”

Continue Reading

UK

Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

Published

on

By

Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward - after Andrew misses Congress deadline

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

More on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

Continue Reading

UK

Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

Published

on

By

Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
Image:
Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

Read more from Sky News:
Energy supplier Ovo to axe hundreds of jobs
Boris Johnson hits out at COVID inquiry report

Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

Continue Reading

UK

Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Published

on

By

Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
Image:
The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

Read more:
Christmas travel chaos expected

Dozens injured in passenger train collision

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

Continue Reading

Trending