Ex-Met officer told female colleague 'I hope you get Wayne Couzened'
Michael Needham threatened to 'rape, pin down and annihilate' his female colleague, the police misconduct panel heard
A former Metropolitan Police officer told a female colleague, “I hope you get Wayne Couzened”, a misconduct panel has revealed.
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Michael Needham, who was attached to the North West command unit, also allegedly told the colleague, identified only as PC X, that he would “rape” and “annihilate” her, the panel heard.
The police misconduct hearing was told that Mr Needham allegedly made the remarks while off duty at a London pub at the beginning of 2025.
He allegedly told PC X: “I’ll rape you, I’ll pin you down and annihilate you. You know I’m stronger than you, don’t you? You do know that, don’t you?”
The female officer said she “froze” and turned away from him, the panel heard.
Mr Needham reportedly told PC X later that evening, “I hope you get Wayne Couzened on the way home”.
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The comment was believed to be a reference to the murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who was raped and killed by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.
Couzens had tricked Miss Everard into believing she could be arrested for breaking Covid lockdown regulations, whilst she walked home from a friend’s house. Couzens was handed a life sentence for murdering Miss Everard at the end of his trial at the Old Bailey in 2021.
Mr Needham “consistently denied that he said the words alleged, or anything like them that could have been misheard or misinterpreted”, the panel reported.
No colleagues were reported to have heard the comments, it was said. However, the panel determined that on the “balance of probabilities”, both incidents had taken place, as alleged by PC X.
The panel wrote: “Former PC Needham has behaved in a manner while off duty that is liable to bring discredit on the police service or undermine public confidence in policing.
“We consider that a victim reporting a sexual assault, or involved in a relationship where they were subject to coercive and controlling behaviour, would have little confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service if they knew of this conduct.
“Further, his language towards PC X was abusive, oppressive, harassing, bullying and offensive.”
“We consider that a fully informed member of the public would have considered former Pc Needham’s behaviour to have been egregious.
“Wayne Couzens, as a police officer who abused his position to commit the most serious offences of rape and murder, has become a byword for what can happen if serving officers can or are perceived to behave with impunity.”
The panel added that Mr Needham would have been sacked if he were still a serving officer, and that he would be added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
Mr Needham was criminally investigated over the remarks, but the panel confirmed that no further action was taken.