Sarah Everard’s parents call for tougher sentences for violent criminals
Sarah Everard’s parents have called for serious violent and sexual criminals to receive tougher sentencing.
Jeremy and Susan Everard’s daughter was abducted, raped and murdered by then-serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.
In a statement, they said it was “important that sentences should truly reflect the seriousness of the crime and give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served”.
The couple are part of Justice for Victims, a new campaign group set up by the families and loved ones of victims of serious crimes, which is being launched in parliament on Wednesday.
The group was formed amid ongoing public concern about serious criminals escaping proper punishment, Justice for Victims said.
“Although nothing can alleviate the sense of loss, it is a relief to us that our daughter’s murderer received a whole-life order,” Mr and Mrs Everard said.
“It made us feel that the enormity of his crime was recognised and that our daughter’s life was valued.
“We know of other families in similar circumstances who have not had this small comfort.”
Wayne Couzens was sentenced to a whole life prison term. Pic: Met Police
Paula Hudgell, the adoptive mother of double amputee Tony Hudgell, 10, is also part of the group.
Tony was just 41 days old when he was assaulted by his birth parents, an attack which caused multiple fractures and dislocations, and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock, and sepsis.
He was left untreated and in agony for 10 days. Due to the extent of his injuries, both his legs had to be amputated.
Tony Hudgell’s adoptive mother is also part of the group. Pic: PA
Jody Simpson and her partner Anthony Smith were jailed for 10 years in 2018.
Ms Hudgell said: “When criminals abuse children they are creating a devastating impact for the rest of that child’s life.
“Many decades can be spent wrestling with the aftermath. Yet perpetrators can be out of prison living a free life whilst the suffering for the victim goes on for decades.
“We need a justice system that reflects that properly. I have seen so many cases of child abusers that don’t get a punishment that fits the crime. Let alone child murderers – they shouldn’t get out of prison in my view.”
Read more:
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How Wayne Couzens was caught
Katie Brett, whose 16-year-old sister Sasha Marsden, from Blackpool, was stabbed to death in 2013, said: “You hear about people getting a life sentence.
“The people who really get the life sentence are families like mine. In the end most murderers end up getting out of prison – sometimes after as little as 15 or 20 years.
“My sister had decades of life ahead of her.”
Sasha Marsden was 16 when she was murdered in Blackpool in 2013. Pic: Rex Features
She added: “Surely if you take a life the starting point should be spending the rest of your life in prison? That’s what we wanted as a family and what would have been respectful of my sister’s memory.
“I think that’s what most families would want and I think most people would support that.”
Other victims’ families who are part of the group include the parents of four-year-old Violet-Grace Youens, who was killed by a motorist driving at more than 80mph in a 30mph zone in 2017, and Ayse Hussein whose cousin Mihrican “Jan” Mustafa was murdered by a convicted paedophile in 2019.
Ms Mustafa went missing in May 2018 and her body was found in a freezer in her murderer Zahid Younis’s flat in Canning Town, east London.
The Justice For Victims group will meet with cross-party MPs and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday.
Patients will be able to get weight loss injections from pharmacies, according to reports.
It’s claimed drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could be available over the counter after a short consultation – at the cost of an NHS prescription.
This would broaden access to these jabs considerably, as the health service currently restricts injections to those regarded as having the highest clinical need.
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Weight loss drugs ‘changing way we see obesity’
At the moment, there is a two-year waiting list for Wegovy on the NHS – and last year, research by Sky News showed the rollout is happening far more slowly than planned.
Thousands of people with severe obesity have been denied access to the treatment, with doctors previously claiming that a “soul-destroying” postcode lottery has emerged.
According to the Daily Mail, a multimillion-pound deal for a pilot scheme will be struck with a pharmaceutical firm, with a view to issuing prescriptions through chemists and health centres.
They would be priced at £9.90 – the same as an NHS prescription – and substantially less than the £150-a-month cost of obtaining these injections privately.
But the reports have been described as “speculative”, with health experts warning obesity drugs must only be used under medical supervision by those who are eligible.
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The weight loss drug that’s ‘too good’
A government spokesperson said: “As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking across the board at how these drugs can be made available to more people who can benefit from them.
“The NHS is already tackling obesity in innovative ways, including through community care models and digital technologies, to help deliver these drugs as part of a rounded package of care.”
Previous estimates from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have suggested that 3.4 million people in England could benefit from weight loss injections.
But last December, NICE said these jabs would only be available to 220,000 patients on the NHS in the first three years – meaning millions of others could end up waiting up to 12 years for treatment.
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‘I need weight loss drug but can’t get it’
Studies show people lose on average 15% of their body weight within months of starting treatment with Wegovy. The drug mimics a natural hormone and people feel fuller faster and for longer.
Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year and is linked to 200 different diseases.
Half of all obese people with three related problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, die within 10 years.
The UK has seen its warmest start to May on record as temperatures soared to over 29C in the spring sunshine.
The Met Office said 29.3C (84.7F) had been recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London, passing the previous 1 May record of 27.4C (81.3F) set in Lossiemouth in 1990.
Thursday was also the warmest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C (80F) reached in Wisley, Surrey, on Wednesday.
Follow latest updates: May record broken
The seafront in Southend-on-Sea. Pic: PA
But the heat is not expected to last for the bank holiday weekend, with cooler weather starting to drift in from the north on Friday.
Temperatures are expected to ease by Friday and Saturday, meaning cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “Temperatures tomorrow will be slightly reduced from what we’ve seen today, possibly 26 or 27 degrees in the far southeast of England through the day tomorrow.”
What has led to the hot spell?
Forecasters said the hot spell has been due to the jet stream remaining stuck north of the country, allowing high pressure to settle.
Last month was also the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, and the third warmest April on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.
And Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.
Boy’s body recovered from lake
Meanwhile, the recovery of a 16-year-old boy’s body from a lake in Nottingham prompted emergency services to warn about swimming in lakes and rivers.
Chief Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this case as a reminder of the devastating consequences of entering open water – regardless of whether people do so deliberately or inadvertently.”
A lifeguard at London Fields Lido in east London. Pic: Reuters
The London Fire Brigade said its crews responded to 565 water-related incidents last year and have already attended around 160 in the first quarter of this year, with incidents ranging from rescuing people to animals stranded on lakes and ponds.
‘Water temperatures can be dangerously cold’
Assistant commissioner for prevention and protection Craig Carter said. “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are. It can lead to water inhalation, and, in the worst cases, drowning.”
People enjoy their ice creams during in St James’s Park, London. Pic: PA
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offered similar warnings, advising those planning to swim at a lifeguarded beach to swim between the red and yellow flags.
Fire services warned that the warm weather means there is a “heightened” risk of grass and wildfires which can spread more easily during the dry spell, as firefighters have been battling what they described as a large wildfire in the Peak District.
The RAC also cautioned drivers on the roads, with spokesman Rod Dennis saying breakdowns are expected to “soar”, while the NHS reported searches for hay fever advice had doubled from Monday to Wednesday.
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