The mother of murdered Sarah Everard has told how she remains 'tormented by the thought of what she endured' four years after her daughter's death, as a major inquiry warns that too many perpetrators of violence against women are 'slipping through the cracks'.
A Mother's Unending Grief
In a powerful statement marking the publication of the latest Angiolini Inquiry report, Susan Everard described the profound and lasting impact of her daughter's murder. Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was abducted, raped and murdered by former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021 as she walked home in south London.
'Outwardly we live our normal lives, but there is an inner sadness,' Mrs Everard wrote. 'After four years, the shock of Sarah’s death has diminished but we are left with an overwhelming sense of loss and what might have been. All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and from us.'
She revealed her grief remains unpredictable and raw, stating: 'I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her, I can’t get past the horror of her last hours.'
Inquiry Uncovers 'Critical Failure' in Data and Policing
The Angiolini Inquiry, established after Ms Everard's murder to investigate policing and women's safety, has published a damning new report focusing on sex crimes in public spaces. Led by Lady Elish Angiolini, it found a 'critical failure' to answer basic questions about the scale of such violence.
'No-one was able to confidently tell me how many women nationally report being the victim of sexually motivated crimes in public spaces,' Lady Angiolini said. 'This gap in knowledge fundamentally impacted my ability to assess how effective current measures are.'
The report highlights that essential data – such as how many women are raped by strangers in public – is not being consistently gathered, making it impossible to analyse offending patterns. It concludes that resources across police, prison and probation services are 'overstretched and underfunded', allowing dangerous individuals to evade justice.
In a stark warning, the inquiry noted that despite violence against women and girls being classed as a national threat, 'too often prevention in this space remains just words.'
Systemic Reforms Still Lagging
The report delivered further shocking revelations, including that there is still no automatic ban on individuals with convictions for sexual offences from joining the police. Lady Angiolini insisted policing must 'draw a clear bright line' to exclude such people.
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, responded: 'This inquiry confirms what women and girls have been telling us for years... It is deeply concerning that, nearly two years on, policing has still not implemented basic reforms.'
She emphasised the need for a whole-society shift, stating: 'For too long, society has enabled this abuse and placed the burden on women to keep themselves safe.'
In response, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called it 'utterly unacceptable' that women do not feel safe and said the Government would consider the recommendations, reiterating a pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
The Angiolini Inquiry continues, with a second report due next year examining risks of repeated failures, and a third phase will focus on the crimes of serial rapist and former Met officer David Carrick.
