‘My all-female team are exposing Met Police after Sarah Everard’s murder – we need to apply pressure’

Sarah Everard was raped and murdered in March 2021 by serving Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Couzens, and a new documentary aims to expose all the mistakes leading up to the crime and the alleged wider corruption.

She had been walking home from a friend’s house, and her death sparked a nationwide movement which shook the country.

Using his profession – a police warrant card and handcuffs – Couzens lured the 33-year-old into his car in South London as he pretended to ‘arrest’ her.

The horrific crime has been reported and reflected on many times since the event and now producer and director Alana McVerry wants to continue the wider conversation so that change can be made.

Ahead of the release of Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight, McVerry explained why she believes Everard’s story affected so many of us, and therefore the reasons she felt compelled to tell the story in this way.

‘It really felt like it could be any of us,’ she told Metro.co.uk

‘When we see women are victims of crime by men they knew we are able to sometimes separate ourselves a bit more.

‘Although lots of women are in domestic abusive relationships, if we’ve never been through that experience then we can feel disconnected, as we can assure ourselves that they made certain choices. Although it is wrong to think like that as it is much more complicated, it is a sad fact that is often true. 

Sarah Everard was killed in March 2021 (Picture: PA)

‘Whereas most people would get in a police car if an officer asked them to do it, which is what happened in Sarah’s case.’

‘I used to walk through parks late at night, but my whole perception of what is safe to do has changed now. I think a lot of women had that moment of reflection and then they became even more cautious.’

As this is a story that affects women, it was important to McVerry that the Channel 5 documentary was produced by an all-female production team.

‘We’re under-represented in the industry so I always try to work with women but it’s about more than that. This is a woman’s story,’ she explained.

‘Working with women on this project is important as I think it just resonates differently with them. It doesn’t mean that men can’t understand it, or that they don’t try to understand but it does resonate differently.

‘Men don’t understand what it’s like to feel scared when a man walks too close to us on the pavement, or have to pre-plan every journey home at night to maximise safety.

‘Women will text our friends to let them know when we get home so they know we’re safe. Men don’t do that,’ she concluded.

During the documentary female survivors of police violence bravely share their stories anonymously – one policewoman recounts being raped by a colleague, and another woman shares how her police office partner would regularly abuse and rape her. He would even dare her to ring the police, as he felt assured nothing would be done.

‘It’s much easier for female survivors to speak to other women. The most important thing was that they felt safe and that they felt like we were true to their stories,’ McVerry reflected.

McVerry led an all-female team

The team all had one goal to take a deeper look at the issue of sexual violence in the Met Police – ‘a force where sexual predators and domestic abusers were hidden in plain sight,’ reads the programme description.

‘I wanted to bring the story of police corruption to an audience that maybe wouldn’t normally watch those documentaries by exploring it through a tone of true crime because otherwise, you’re just preaching to the converted.’

She continued: ‘I hope it does inspire public awakening and widen public consciousness, creates more conversation, and also helps people understand that just because they are writing more reports, that’s not necessarily the solution. 

‘We can’t rely on just a report changing everything anymore, because it doesn’t seem to have worked in the past. When I looked back at the ten years of reports, and minimal change that was the lightbulb moment for me that we need more than that.’

McVerry also believes we should no longer say that it’s just a few ‘bad apples.’

‘The bad apple narrative is redundant when it’s many officers.

‘David Carrick from the same unit as Couzens was accused of 80 counts of sexual assault. My hardest day on this documentary was attending his sentencing, and listening to the victims. It was harrowing and difficult not to take work home that day,’ she admitted.

‘That case really shaped the documentary, because I knew then this was something much bigger.’

Over a dozen Met Police officers have been convicted of serious offences since the murder of Sarah – the majority of who committed sex crimes against women, and more than 1,000 police officers are now being investigated over cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence in the Met (according to a January 2023 review).

McVerry added: ‘We do need to keep the pressure on the police and I hope this documentary will create a little bit more pressure. We know more needs to be done to stop this happening again.

‘Something else needs to come along after us and create a little bit more pressure. This is a long-term project.’

The year-long investigation looked into the wider issues, but viewers will also be shown a clear timeline of Couzens’ known crimes and clear missed warning signs. Couzens was sentenced to a whole life order in October 2021 for Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder, and given 19 months later for indecent exposure.

How Wayne Couzens got into the police is explored within the documentary (Picture: Kent Messenger / SWNS)

This included meeting a childhood friend of Couzens, Warwick Lewis, who described how he’d fast forward to violent scenes in movies. ‘You could watch a whole film in 10 minutes with Wayne,’ he explained. 

It also shows the evidence against his character in a clear timeline, including how he was nicknamed ‘the rapist’, and perhaps most shockingly – the occasions he exposed himself to innocent people.

A criminal expert tells audiences it is likely they are just the things we know about, as it’s unlikely someone goes from flashing straight to rape and murder.

‘There are certain crimes against women that aren’t taken seriously and need to be, in order to stop these eventual devastating outcomes,’ McVerry stated.

‘Sometimes, things like flashing are even regarded as silly, but it’s time we looked at the motivation behind why they’re doing it.

‘It is frustrating to hear that in 2015 his car was linked to him and an indecent exposure case at a McDonald’s drive-thru, and he continued in the police force but you’ve also got to understand the bigger context around the police as well in terms of everything they’re dealing with and budget cuts.

‘It does not excuse it in any way, but I will always put everything back into context. It’s not that people just didn’t care, I think it’s a really tricky one,’ she explained.

‘It’s very easy with hindsight to solve the case.’

Although, Everard’s case became a huge story, inspired a vigil, and much fascination, McVerry was keen that the story was told in the right way and that it was never exploited. 

‘People watch true crime because they are trying to make sense out of something that is so horrific. We are trying to find a reason why it wouldn’t happen to us.

‘The fascination that people have with it is interesting but I have a limit point when the crime isn’t talking to a bigger issue.’

The true crime genre is a booming industry – in the UK it takes 44.3% of the audience demand [Statista]. McVerry didn’t want to add to the genre for the sake of it and reiterated her bigger reason for contributing to it.

‘We had to think long and hard about how to get the correct tone. The documentary is about the police, and Sarah’s story is the running thread but we speak to other victims, and examine the system as a whole, rather than it just be for entertainment purposes.

She continued: ‘We felt quite strongly about not overusing Sarah and her story and also not making it too much about Wayne as a person. It’s instead about him as a police officer.

‘It is a difficult line. If you don’t mention the victim, then you’re dehumanising them but if you overuse the victim, it’s like you’re exploiting them.’

McVerry made the decision to write to Everard’s family to let them know they were creating this documentary and reassure them that it wouldn’t just be her. She also provided them with contact details if they wished to find out more.

Everard was walking home from a friend’s house when Couzens approached her (Picture: PA)

‘I obviously would have taken on board anything they said, but I understand their decision not to speak with the media.

‘The documentary is respectful, with the police as the main character.’

Now, McVerry is hopeful for a better future but believes certain things need to happen first.

‘People need full transparency from the police, and the unearthing of these historical stories to show that they’re willing to change.

‘I know it’s not everyone in the police. The majority are in it for the right reasons, but we need to weed out the people who are abusing the power. We aren’t willing to accept the narrative that it’s just one or two anymore.’

Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5 and then is available to stream on My5

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