Couzens will still get 35 per cent of his pension
Wayne Couzens will not lose his entire Met pension following his jailing for the kidnap, rape and murder of the late Sarah Everard.
The 48-year-old was jailed for life last Thursday (September 30) with no parole for the murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard on March 4 but it has since been revealed he will keep a third of his monthly retirement allowance, reports the Mail Online.
The Home Office dictates that no more than 65 per cent of a pension can be taken away, which in Couzens’ case relates to the amount paid by the taxpayer via the police.
The remaining 35 per cent, which counts as his contribution, will not be taken away as it is a “clear infringement of the officer’s rights”, judges have ruled.
It has also been revealed that Couzens had a history of dangerous behaviour, much of which the Met was aware of.
An unnamed McDonald’s employee had previously shared CCTV footage with the police that showed Couzens flashing on more than one occasion while in the drive-thru. On February 28, the police were made aware of the incidents but less than a week later Everard was killed.
“The police took our statements and took away CCTV. If they had taken this more seriously, they could easily have figured out that he was a policeman who had committed these crimes,” the employee told the Mail Online.
“The police had three days to stop him but didn’t. It could have stopped him from doing a lot worse.”
Couzens would have been suspended and his warrant card confiscated if this had been dealt with as expected. They can also not have any contact with the public, claims the Mail.
Related links:
- Met Police advise women to ‘shout or wave a bus down’ if they don’t trust a male officer
- Sarah Everard’s mum’s heartbreaking statement in full
- Wayne Couzens will never be released from jail over kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard
