Cousins was also accused of possessing indecent images of children, and in 2004 he exposed himself to a teenage girl in south London by driving past her while masturbating.
The crime was not reported at the time, but the woman later came forward when she identified Cousins in the media.
Allegations of rape and assault
Sometime between late 2006 and early 2007, Cousins was suspected of attempting to rape a woman at a singles' night in an east London pub. The victim came forward again after Everard was killed.
There was another rape allegation in October 2019, which happened under a bridge in London. In the summer of 2019, Cousins also sexually assaulted a man in a pub in Kent. The complainant was in drag and wearing a blonde wig when Cousins grabbed him inappropriately.
When the victim protested with him, Cozens said he was a police officer and invited him outside to perform a sex act. The man also came forward to police after Cousins was arrested for Everard's murder.
Elish Angiolini, barrister and Lord Scots Record Clerk, makes an official statement to announce the findings of the first part of a two-part independent investigation into the murder of Sarah Everard.credit: GT
There were also a series of allegations of indecent exposure, some of which were reported to police but were not fully investigated. In November 2008, Cousins exposed himself to a woman in south London, and while the crime was reported at the time, no suspect has been identified.
In 2015, Cousins exposed himself again, but despite the victims providing police with his car registration, he was never arrested or charged. The investigation concluded that the failure to fully investigate this crime was “a red flag and a missed opportunity to disrupt or even prevent further crimes by Cousins.”
The murder of Sarah Everard
Everard was 33 when she disappeared in Clapham, south-west London, on her way home from a friend's house. She was kidnapped by Cousins at 9.30pm on 3 March 2021 after he stopped her in the street, showed her his arrest card and handcuffed her.
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Couzens used his status as a police officer to trick Everard into thinking she could have been arrested for breaching the lockdown rules in place at the time. After putting her in the back of the car he had hired, he drove her to a remote location in Sibertswold, Kent, and, sometime around midnight, raped her.
At 2am, Cousins was seen on CCTV buying a drink at a petrol station. At some point in the previous hour, he is believed to have strangled Everard with his police belt. After killing her, Cousins hid her body in woodland near Ashford in Kent.
After Everard's murder, Cousins pleaded guilty to three more cases of indecent exposure including two offenses committed at a McDonald's outlet just days before her death.
Angiolini said the investigations into these crimes were “shoddy and inadequate,” with officers showing “indifference and disinterest.” She said all future reports of indecent exposure “must be thoroughly and thoroughly investigated.”
“Furthermore, victims should be encouraged to report and believe that they have no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. These feelings should be left for the perpetrators to experience,” she continued.
The report also identified a series of other potential red flags that police should have spotted in the years leading up to Everard's murder. In 2013, when he was working as a firearms officer at CNC, Cousins was reported missing for several hours.
“It is possible that Cousins was driving in search of a victim, in the same way as he did approximately eight years later on the evening when he kidnapped Sarah Everard and on other dates leading up to his crime,” the report said.
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On the night of Everard's kidnapping, Cousins drove from his home in Deal, south-east England, to London. Three days earlier, he had booked a white Vauxhall Astra from a car hire company in Dover, Kent, using his personal details and bank card.
The report concluded that his unexplained disappearance in the 2013 case should have been seen as a warning sign when he was vetted to join the Metropolitan Police. In addition, there were audit failures when Cousins applied to both the CNC and the Met.
He managed to hide his desperate financial situation and the fact that he was so deeply in debt that he had entered into an individual voluntary arrangement to avoid bankruptcy, which would have prevented him from joining the police.
The investigation also heard evidence that Couzens sent indecent images of his genitals to women selling women's clothing online. He was also a regular user of dating sites and made phone calls to escorts, although there is no evidence he visited them.
There were also instances of self-harm, including Cozens deliberately digging his finger which resulted in him being suspended for three weeks. Before being accepted into CNC, Couzens was a volunteer with Kent Special Police.
People gather at the bandstand on Clapham Common in memory of Sarah Everard, after the official March 2021 vigil was cancelled.credit: AP
The report said: “Despite the generally positive view in which Cozens was viewed by witnesses from the Kent Special Constabulary and the absence of any suggestion that he behaved poorly towards women while on duty, the investigation concluded that by the time Cozens resigned from the Kent Special Constabulary He already had a history of abusive and possibly criminal sexual activity.
Presenting her findings, Angiolini said: “The evidence seen by the investigation showed that failures in recruitment and vetting meant Cozens was able to pursue a police career that should have been denied him.”
“The failure of investigations into allegations of indecent exposure means missed opportunities to disrupt Cousins’ crimes and stop his policing career.
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“The fact remains that three separate police forces allowed him the privilege of being a police officer when they could and should have stopped him.”
In response to the report, Everard's parents, Sue and Jeremy, and his siblings Katie and James Everard, said in a statement: “It is clear that Wayne Cousins should never have been a police officer. While he held a position of trust in reality, he was a serial sex offender.
“Warning signs were overlooked throughout his career, and opportunities to confront him were missed… We believe Sarah died because he was a police officer – she would never have gotten into a stranger’s car.”
She also called on the family to immediately put in place all recommendations, adding: “We cannot bring Sarah back, but positive changes give hope for the future and will be beneficial to others.”
A court sketch from the trial in September 2021 shows Sarah Everard's mother Susan (right) reading a victim impact statement as Cousins (left) sits in the dock.credit: Palestinian Authority
UK Information Commissioner John Edwards, who contributed to the investigation, said: “This investigation paints a worrying picture of how disciplinary concerns about police officers and recruits are shared.
“There is a need for greater transparency here. The public has a right to understand how information is shared to encourage confidence in the high standards of the police, and police officers have a right to understand how their information is shared.”
If you or someone you know needs support, you can call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counseling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
