Samantha Lee denies gross misconduct as a result of failing to make ‘the correct investigative inquiries’ into the murderer’s crimes (Picture: PA)

A police officer accused of failing to properly investigate Wayne Couzens denied she was shown CCTV evidence of a car he used while flashing victims.

Samantha Lee, who has since left the Metropolitan Police, denies gross misconduct as a result of failing to make ‘the correct investigative inquiries’ into his crimes, and lying about her work on the case.

Couzens, who is currently serving a whole life sentence for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, exposed himself to female members of staff at a McDonald’s restaurant in Swanley, Kent, on two occasions in February 2021.

On Valentine’s Day and February 27 he was seen to have his pants open and his penis on display, which he was sentenced for in March.

Ms Lee interviewed the manager of the branch, Sam Taylor, a few days later on March 3.

Just hours later, Sarah Everard was kidnapped by Couzens in Clapham, south-west London.

Ms Lee claimed she was told and believed there was no CCTV of Couzens or the offence at McDonald’s.

Ms Lee denies breaching the force’s standards on duties and responsibilities, as well as honesty and integrity (Picture: PA)

Wayne Couzens is currently serving a whole life sentence for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard (Picture: SWNS)

She told a misconduct hearing in Palestra House, Southwark: ‘I asked if [Mr Taylor] had any CCTV of the vehicle, or the offender, or the offence.

‘He said no.’

She said she was told a picture is taken of the driver when they pull up to order at the drive-thru, but that image is later deleted.

‘[My Taylor] went on to explain that a photograph would have been taken at the first box of the driver so they could identify him, but at the next box the image is deleted.’

She said she would have asked Mr Taylor to download the CCTV ‘there and then’ if she knew it existed.

‘It would only have taken a few minutes and it would have been evidence to take back,’ she said.

But Mr Taylor previously claimed he had given her the footage of Couzens’s car, witness statements and till receipts.

An officer speaking for the Met had also told the hearing that if Ms Lee had carried out a specialised search on the car number plate and the card details from the receipts, it would have confirmed both as belonging to Couzens and that would have provided grounds for arrest at his address.

She could be banned from serving in the force again if she is found to have committed gross misconduct (Picture: PA)

CCTV dated February 27, 2021, shows Wayne Couzens at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Swanley, Kent (Picture: Metropolitan Police / PA)

The tribunal heard Ms Lee had a rest day the day after meeting Mr Taylor, then worked two late shifts and two night shifts, then had four rest days off from March 8 to 11.

She said chief superintendent Robert Shepherd called her on March 11, two days after Couzens’s arrest, to inform her she was the officer in charge of the flashing investigation.

She said she was ‘shocked’ to hear this, adding: ‘He stated to me that the suspect Wayne Couzens was the same suspect in the McDonald’s case that I was the officer in the case of.’

Mr Shepherd previously denied to the tribunal that he had called her.

Ms Lee then had a meeting with her commanding officer, inspector Rita Jones, and Mr Shepherd on March 12.

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She claimed she would not have known she was the officer in the case until seven days after being added to the Crime Reporting Information System (Cris) on March 4.

‘Before the seven-day mark you would not know unless you went back to the Cris itself,’ she explained.

Ms Lee denies breaching the force’s standards on duties and responsibilities, as well as honesty and integrity.

She later resigned after being suspended for allegedly selling racy pictures online as ‘Officer Naughty’.

She could be banned from serving in the force again if she is found to have committed gross misconduct in this case. The hearing continues.

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Samantha Lee denies gross misconduct as a result of failing to make ‘the correct investigative inquiries’ into the murderer’s crimes.