Sarah Everard’s mum opens up on personal ‘torment’ | UK | News

Sarah Everard’s mother Susan has spoken of her personal grief and pain following the publication of the final report of the Angiolini Inquiry. The mother of the 33-year-old woman who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Wayne Couzens released a strong statement on December 2, which was included in the final report.

Ms Everard said: “I’ve read that you shouldn’t let a tragedy define you, but I feel like Sarah’s death is such a big part of me that I’m surprised there’s no outward sign of it or obvious sign of grief. “It’s changed me but there’s nothing to see. “On the outside we live our normal lives but there is an internal sadness.

“The people who knew were incredibly kind and helped more than they could have ever imagined. Of course, we are not the only ones who have lost a child and we relate to other bereaved parents in a sad way. “Four years later, the shock of Sarah’s death has receded but we are left with an overwhelming sense of loss and what could have been.

“All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and us; there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no family celebrations where everyone is there. Sarah will always be missing, and I will always miss her. I experience a jumble of emotions – sadness, anger, panic, guilt and numbness. They would all come in one day, but as time goes on they spread wider and wider, and to some extent time dulls the edges.”

“I’m 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 final hours. It still pains me to think about what she endured. We find we still appreciate the good things of life, but there can be no unbridled joy without Sarah. And grief is unpredictable; it sits there silently, only to suddenly rise up and pierce our hearts.”

“They say the final stage of grief is acceptance. I’m not sure what that means. I’m used to Sarah not being with us anymore, but I’m angry about it.”

Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was abducted, raped and murdered as she walked home by an armed former Metropolitan Police officer in south London in March 2021. Couzens tricked him into thinking he could arrest him for breaking lockdown rules.

In a further statement released alongside the publication of the second report of the Angiolini Inquiry on Tuesday, the Everard family said they were “extremely grateful” to chairwoman Lady Elish Angiolini.

They said: “The report is an impressive document and is the result of careful and meticulous research and analysis.

“This shows how much work still needs to be done to prevent sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces, but as a family we find it encouraging that so many positive measures have been identified.”

They added: “Of course Sarah is always in our thoughts and we consider that the Inquiry continues to honor her memory.

“It also applies to all women who are victims of sexual offenses in public and are at risk.

“We stand with them, recognizing the urgent need for positive change and looking forward to a better future.”

The final report of the Angiolini Inquiry, established following the murder of Ms Everard, examines sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces.

Speaking during the public launch of the report, Lady Elish said that while women lived in fear, many perpetrators were released.

“There are still many victims because there are many perpetrators who evade detection and prosecution of sexually motivated crimes,” he told reporters. “With greater emphasis on women’s safety in public, women should feel safer in public spaces, but many do not.

“While women are changing their travel plans, routines and lives out of fear for their safety in public spaces, many perpetrators continue to roam free.”

The new report includes a set of 13 recommendations, including better data collection, a national awareness campaign and prioritization of prevention.

Lady Elish said: “Prevention is the most effective method when confronting those who cause harm. Yet too many opportunities to catch violent perpetrators are ignored.

“Too many women are victimized and too many lives are lost or irrevocably changed forever.”