Ex-Met Police constable Michael Needham told female colleague ‘I hope you get Wayne Couzened’ in apparent reference to Sarah Everard’s killer
A former Metropolitan Police officer told a female colleague: “I hope you catch Wayne Couzened”, believed to be a reference to the murder of Sarah Everard, a misconduct panel has found.
Michael Needham, who served in the force’s North West command, told his colleague, identified only as Pc X, that he would “rape” and “destroy” her, a police misconduct hearing heard.
The panel was told Mr Needham made the alleged statements while off duty in a London pub in early 2025.
He told his colleague, “I’m going to rape you, I’m going to pin you down and destroy you. You know I’m stronger than you, right? You know that, don’t you?”
The officer told the panel she “froze” and turned her back to him.
Later that evening, Mr Needham allegedly said to Pc X: “I hope you find Wayne Couzened on your way home”, believing this to be a reference to Ms Everard’s killer.
Ms Everard, 33, was raped and murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in south London on March 3, 2021.
Couzens, who was sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of the Old Bailey trial in September 2021, tricked Ms Everard into thinking she could be arrested for breaking Covid quarantine rules while walking home from a friend’s house.
In its finding, the panel wrote that Mr. Needham “consistently denied uttering the alleged words or anything like them that could be misheard or misinterpreted.”
It was said that the comments were not heard by other colleagues present.
However, the panel found on the “balance of probabilities” that both events occurred as PC X claimed.
The letter said: “Former Pc Needham acted while off duty in a way that brought the force into disrepute or undermined public confidence in policing.
“We believe that a victim reporting sexual assault or being involved in a relationship in which they were subjected to coercive and controlling behavior would have little confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service if they knew of this behavior.
“Additionally, his language towards Pc X was abusive, oppressive, harassing, bullying and offensive.”
He added: “We think a fully informed member of the public would think former Pc Needham’s behavior was appalling.
“Wayne Couzens, a police officer who abused his position to commit the most serious crimes such as rape and murder, has become a symbol of what can happen when incumbent officers can or are perceived to act with impunity.”
The panel decided that if Mr Needham was still in office he would be dismissed and added to the Police College banned list.
The panel wrote that he was subject to criminal investigation for his remarks, but no further action was taken.
