Rest In Peace Sarah Everard.

This article includes mentions of violent crimes against women. Please read with care.

3rd March 2021- Sarah Everard goes missing after walking home alone in Clapham Common, London. 6th March 2021- Metropolitan Police draw more attention to her disappearance, releasing CCTV footage of her walking home.

10th March 2021- Human remains are found in the woodlands of Ashford, Kent.

12th March 2021- Metropolitan Police confirm that the remains are Sarah Everard.

13th March 2021- A vigil is held for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common which resulted in the police using excessive force against individuals in attendance.

On Tuesday 8th June, Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty to the rape, kidnapping and murder of 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard. The Metropolitan Police Officer was taken into custody on the 12th of March, the same day that human remains were found in Ashford, later confirmed to be Sarah Everard.

The sharp differences between the coverage of Sarah Everard (the victim) and Wayne Couzens (the perpetrator) display the invariable bias the media has towards men in positions of power and responsibility compared to women. Whilst questions were raised surrounding Sarah’s clothing, decision making abilities and alcohol intake the evening of her disappearance, individuals were unconsciously assigning a level of guilt to the victim of a horrendous crime. In countless news reports, many have tried to cling onto the scraps of Couzens humanity, highlighting how he is a father of two children and happily married. Couzens family life and background were used to try and prove his innocence when his guilt wasn’t yet confirmed. Furthermore, the fact that ‘human remains’ were found in Ashford (as opposed to a human body) that took 2 days to be correctly identified as Sarah Everard displays the lack of humanity the criminal has. Not only did they commit horrific acts whilst Sarah was alive, but this continued after her death.

It is assumed that individuals in positions of power and responsibility can be automatically trusted as good citizens due to the titles associated with their names. However, this is not the first time that individuals assumed to be on the right side of the law have abused their positions and caused harm to other more vulnerable citizens. One key example that comes to mind is John Christie, a police officer from the early twentieth century who committed countless murders over the course of a 10-year period, the majority of which were women in positions perceived to be vulnerable. Despite crimes like this happening nearly a century ago society is not learning from them: The title an individual holds does not make them incapable of committing a crime.

So, what should individuals take away from this horrific string of events? Well, it is easy to look at these sorts of crimes and assume that no one can be trusted thus no one should be trusted as an individual's job title does not display their level of integrity. However, if society operated in this way nothing would function- trust is necessary for a collective to work together. However, feeling comfortable to question and act upon how safe you feel around other people you don’t know or don’t typically interact with is a necessary approach. I, like many other individuals, feel a higher level of anxiety around travelling alone whatever time of day after this event. The tragic truth that this crime has unsurfaced is that individuals feel unsafe walking alone, especially at times when there is less natural light. But this should not stop you from leaving the house to experience what you enjoy. Stay safe- call a loved one when walking alone, use well-lit main routes and make sure someone knows where you are at all times. It saddens me that this is a necessity, but whilst there are individuals like Wayne Couzens committing acts of violence against women, they are the tragic truth for many.