For days the search for Sarah Everard dominated the headlines in Great Britain – her murder subsequently enraged the country. Now the defendant is likely to face life behind bars.
London – Sarah Everard’s confessed murderer is threatened with life behind bars. Judge Adrian Fulford plans to announce the verdict against the 48-year-old police officer today.
The circumstances of the act, which had kept the country in suspense, justified life imprisonment with no prospect of early release, Prosecutor Tom Little told the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London on Wednesday.
Brutal act
According to his account, the defendant used his police ID to stop, handcuff and abduct Everard during a fake check in March. Finally, he raped the 33-year-old and strangled her with his police belt. The policeman is said to have doused the body with gasoline, set it on fire and thrown it in a pond. The young woman’s remains were not discovered until a week later.
In court, Everard’s parents and sister used emotional words to describe their grief. “No punishment you receive will ever match the pain and torture you inflicted on us,” Father Jeremy Everard said to the defendant. “We loved being part of Sarah’s world and expected her to live a full and happy life. Now we only get close to her during daily visits to her grave, ”said Jeremy Everard. Mother Susan said, “He treated my daughter like she was nothing and disposed of her like she was trash.”
Women’s rights one aspect
The case had sparked a nationwide outcry over violence against women. As a result, numerous women demonstrated at vigils for more protection and better measures by the government. Duchess Kate also laid flowers. In London, however, police chief Cressida Dick also came under fire because officials sometimes used violence to break up a vigil with reference to the applicable corona rules.
Activists criticize that the situation has not improved despite the public outcry. Since the murder of Sarah Everard, dozens of women across the country have allegedly been killed by men. Most recently, the murder of 28-year-old Sabina Nessa in south-east London caused a stir. A 36-year-old has now been charged. dpa
