Sarah Everard ‘must have realised fate’ as she was driven 80 miles to her death

Tragic Sarah Everard "must have realised her fate" as she was driven 80 miles by evil killer cop Wayne Couzens.

Prosecutor Tom Little told the former Metropolitan Police officer's sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey how a couple driving past witnessed Sarah being put in his car on March 3 this year.

One of the witnesses assumed Sarah "must have done something wrong" as she appeared to have her left arm behind her back as she was handcuffed.

But they "were in fact witnessing the kidnapping of Sarah Everard," Mr Little said.

He continued: "She was detained by fraud. The defendant using his warrant card and handcuffs as well as his other police-issue equipment to effect a false arrest.

"Having handcuffed her to the rear she would not have been able to undo the seatbelt that the defendant must have placed over her.

"That was the start of her lengthy ordeal including an 80-mile journey whilst detained which was to lead first to her rape and then her murder.

"She must have realised her fate."

Couzens, 48, stalked the 33-year-old marketing executive as she made her way home from a pal's house in Clapham, south-west London.

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He then ambushed her on the street by making a fake arrest after claiming she had breached Covid lockdown rules, before driving her to her grim fate.

After raping and strangling Sarah, Couzens then burned her body in a plot of land he bought in 2019.

Police believe she was dead by 2.31am, five hours after she was snatched off the street.

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Couzens, who was known to wear a police belt with handcuffs while off-duty, put her remains in green rubble bags and dumped them in a pond in woodland.

Her body was discovered in Ashford, Kent, a week after her disappearance.

Couzens treated himself to a hot chocolate with coconut milk and a Bakewell tart from Costa just hours after murdering her.

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Her body had to be identified by dental records.

Couzens was charged with kidnap and murder.

After initially denying the charges and concocting an elaborate story about him being forced to snatch Sarah by eastern European gangsters, he finally admitted the grisly crime.

Despite wiping his phone, data on the device linked Couzens to the abduction and eventually the area where Sarah was found.

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Sentencing was adjourned to be continued on Thursday.

The judge, Mr Justice Fulford, says he will pass his sentence at around 12-12.30 after his lawyer Jim Sturman QC has addressed the court.

Prosecutor Mr Little said Couzens's crimes were so exceptional it could warrant a whole life tariff.

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