Sarah Everard died from 'compression to neck', post-mortem finds

1 June 2021, 12:14 | Updated: 1 June 2021, 13:08

Sarah Everard died from "compression to the neck", a post mortem has concluded.

Sarah went missing on 3 March 2020 from Clapham, South London, and her body was tragically found a week later near Ashford in Kent.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "A post-mortem examination into the death of Sarah Everard held at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford has given cause of death as compression of the neck.

"Sarah’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers."

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A serving Metropolitan Police Officer, Wayne Couzens, has been charged with her murder and is currently awaiting trial.

The 33-year-old's disappearance sparked a wave of vigils, including one on 13 March on Clapham Common which was subsequently broken up by police.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick had faced calls to resign over the policing of the event, which saw officers break up the commemoration.

Police scuffle with crowds at Sarah Everard vigil

But a subsequent review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found they acted "appropriately".

The review found that the Metropolitan Police was "justified in adopting the view that the risks of transmitting COVID-19 at the vigil were too great to ignore when planning for and policing the event."

Reclaim These Streets, which had organised the vigil before cancelling it, criticised the findings and said the "disregard for us as women organisers in the report is clear".

Matt Parr, who led the inspection team, said: "A minute's silence was held for Sarah at 6pm, after which a peaceful and sombre vigil turned into something else - a rally with dense crowds and little or no social distancing."

After reviewing "hundreds of documents, body-worn video from police officers at the vigil and other media, and conducting interviews with the police, vigil organisers and politicians", the inspectorate found police did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd.

It also said officers remained calm "when subjected to abuse" and "did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner".