Sarah Everard's family: 'The pain of losing her is overwhelming'
30 September 2021, 14:19 | Updated: 30 September 2021, 14:26
The family of Sarah Everard has said the world is "safer" now her killer has been jailed, and said the "pain of losing her is overwhelming".
Wayne Couzens used his position as an officer to falsely detain her and kidnap her, before raping and murdering the marking executive.
In a heart-wrenching statement, the family spoke of how Sarah "lost her life needlessly and cruelly" and her future was stolen.
"We are very pleased that Wayne Couzens has received a full life sentence and will spend the rest of his life in jail," they said after the killer was jailed for the rest of his life.
"Nothing can make things better, nothing can bring Sarah back, but knowing he will be imprisoned forever brings some relief.
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Watch: Moment Wayne Couzens falsely told police a gang made him kidnap Sarah Everard
Wayne Couzens to die behind bars
"Sarah lost her life needlessly and cruelly and all the years of life she had yet to enjoy were stolen from her. Wayne Couzens held a position of trust as a police officer and we are outraged and sickened that he abused this trust in order to lure Sarah to her death. The world is a safer place with him imprisoned.
"It is almost seven months since Sarah died and the pain of losing her is overwhelming. We miss her all the time. She was a beautiful young woman in looks and character and our lives are the poorer without her.
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"We remember all the lovely things about Sarah - her compassion and kindness, her intelligence, her strong social conscience. But we especially like to remember her laughing and dancing and enjoying life. We hold her safe in our hearts."
The family also paid tribute to the detectives and lawyers who worked on tracking down her killer - as the Met comes under heavy criticism amid questions how an officer nicknamed "the rapist" was still part of the force.
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"We are immensely grateful to the police and legal team who worked on Sarah’s case. We cannot thank them enough for their meticulous and painstaking work and for their constant support," the family said.
"We also send our heartfelt thanks to our family and friends for comforting us through this terrible time."
Updates to follow
