Read in full: Sarah Everard's family statement

29 February 2024, 10:39

Sarah Everard's family has released a statement following the Angiolini review
Sarah Everard's family has released a statement following the Angiolini review. Picture: Alamy

By StephenRigley

We have read, with great interest, the first part of the Angiolini Inquiry and we are enormously grateful to Lady Elish and her team for their meticulous and in-depth work. The Inquiry has raised many important issues and will undoubtedly help to establish changes that will improve the safety of women and girls.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

As a family, the Inquiry has helped us, not just because of its significant findings, but because its implementation made us feel that Sarah’s life was valued and her memory honoured. Her death has not been dismissed as a tragic event to be acknowledged with sympathy and then forgotten – questions have bene raised and actions taken to investigate how this tragedy happened. As a family, we have not had to fight for answers and, for this, we are very thankful.

It is obvious that Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer. Whilst holding a position of trust, in reality he was a serial sex offender. Warning signs were overlooked throughout his career and opportunities to confront him were missed. We believe that Sarah died because he was a police officer – she would never have got into a stranger’s car. We strongly support the recommendations that Lady Elish has made and trust that these will be implemented forthwith. We cannot get Sarah back, but positive changes give hope for the future and will be of benefit to others.

It is almost three years now since Sarah died. We no longer wait for her call; we no longer expect to see her. We know she won’t be there at family gatherings. But the desperate longing to have her with us remains and the loss of Sarah pervades every part of our lives, The care and support of family, friends and the wider community have helped us to bear this, and we would like to thank them.

We will be forever grateful to Lady Elish and her team for the hard work, support, and consideration. They have our heartfelt thanks. We would also like to thank the Rt. Hon. Priti Patel MP, who, in her role as Home Secretary, commissioned the inquiry.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

A young caucasian man in pajamas in bed about to take some blue pills from a brown bottle

Urgent warning after two die in London taking ‘blue pills’

Doctor working with medical imaging and technology to provide accurate diagnosis.

New study reveals the childhood cancers which take the longest to diagnose

A Jewish boy has been hospitalised after a ‘racially motivated attack’ in Hampstead, a charity has said.

Jewish boy hospitalised after ‘racially motivated attack’ in Hampstead, north London

Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Hamas tells Gazans facing food shortages to stay away from US-linked aid deliveries

The Harvard University logo is displayed on a building at the school, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass.

Germany offers ‘exile campus’ to Harvard students after foreigner ban

Water St the morning after the tragic events just after the LFC trophy parade when a car was driven into the crowd injuring at least 50 people

Liverpool crash victim ‘pleaded with driver to stop’ before car mowed him down as motorist arrested for attempted murder

One in ten women say they have been spat on while running, a new study reveals.

'Hurtful and traumatising': Rise in men 'spitting' on women runners in disturbing new form of street harassment

Gayanne Potter told LBC she feels "absolutely sick".

Leading voiceover artist ‘violated’ by ScotRail AI announcements using her voice without 'permission'

The popular club's licence has been suspended following allegations that a woman was raped by a security guard in the vicinity of the venue

Heaven security guard accused of raping teenager was 'not permitted to work in UK' and 'used false ID to get job'

RFK Jr said that Covid-19 shots would be removed from the recommendations for certain groups.

Robert F Kennedy Jr drops Covid vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women - slamming lack of 'clinical data'

Rebecca Turner, 36, was found dead in Bangkok with her partner, Sam Melnick, in 2024.

Mother of British woman found dead in Bangkok hotel after 'unwitting hit of drugs' alleges Thai police ‘cover-up’

Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout will star as Hermione, Harry and Ron in the new Harry Potter TV series.

Harry Potter and the new cast revealed: First pic of child stars ahead of TV series

Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk (posing with former footballer Alan Hansen and the Premier League trophy) sent a message of support to victims of the crash

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk ‘praying for speedy recovery’ for those hurt in parade crash

(Clockwise from top left) Indigo Rumbelow, Leanorah Ward, Daniel Knorr and Margaret Reid

Four Just Stop Oil activists jailed over plot to disrupt Manchester Airport

The runaway couple went off-grid in early 2023 in an alleged attempt to stop their newborn baby being removed from their care.

Runaway aristocrat Constance Marten’s partner 'attacked' officers on post-natal ward while trying to 'escape'

Footage shows the driver reverse into a fan, which leads two spectators to punch and kick the car whilst it moves back and forth

Driver ‘followed ambulance through roadblock’ before Liverpool crash as man, 53, arrested on suspicion of ‘drug driving’