Sarah Everard's Mother Honors Daughter's Legacy on Fifth Anniversary of Tragic Murder
Susan Everard, the mother of Sarah Everard, has shared a poignant tribute to her daughter, emphasizing her vibrant spirit and the profound loss felt by her family on the five-year anniversary of her murder. In a heartfelt piece for British Vogue, Susan described Sarah as a woman who "added to the beauty of the world," highlighting her humor, principled nature, and love for fashion.
A Golden Time Remembered
Accompanying the tribute is a photograph of Sarah taken at V festival in 2010, captured for an online street style series. Susan reflected on this period as a "golden time" when Sarah had recently graduated, returned from travels in south-east Asia, and was eagerly planning future adventures. "Although it is bittersweet, I love to see her, happy and beautiful, with her whole life ahead of her," she wrote, underscoring the tragic interruption of her daughter's promising life.
Personal Memories and Missed Moments
Susan recounted the everyday ways she misses Sarah, such as swapping recipes, seeking her advice, and hearing her laughter. She portrayed her daughter as "thoughtful, dependable and highly principled," someone who appreciated absurdity but was also outraged by injustice and bad behavior. Due to Covid-19 lockdowns, Susan had only seen Sarah's home in Brixton Hill—where she was returning on the night of her abduction on March 3, 2021—through video calls. After Sarah's death, while clearing the home with her father Jeremy, they admired how cleverly she had styled it and made it welcoming.
A Talented and Loving Individual
"Sarah had many talents but, in particular, I like to think of her dancing—she was a beautiful dancer," Susan wrote. She emphasized that Sarah was, above all, a "loving and caring young woman," with her many friendships serving as a testament to her lovely nature. The Everard family, now a close-knit unit of four, continues to navigate the future together, celebrating Sarah's memory and maintaining connections with her friends.
Broader Context and Police Accountability
Sarah Everard, aged 33, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by off-duty Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens, who is currently serving a whole-life prison order. It later emerged that Couzens had a history of alleged sexual offending, and failures in the vetting process allowed him to become a police officer. Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, acknowledged in a BBC interview that, five years on, some women may still not trust the police, despite efforts to "root out" potentially dangerous officers. "We haven't got to the point where every woman is going to say 'I completely, without question, trust the Met police'. This was a horrific incident, of course that's going to live longer in memory," he stated, while noting progress but emphasizing the need for further improvement.
Systemic Issues and Calls for Action
An official report from last year revealed that a quarter of police forces in England and Wales have yet to implement basic policies for investigating sexual offences. Women's charities, including Women's Aid, have called for more decisive action. Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women's Aid, asserted that Sarah's murder "exposed the entrenched misogyny within the police force, leaving countless women fearful of those who are meant to protect them." She added that while some measures have been taken to improve responses to violence against women and girls, significantly more must be done, as misogyny remains rooted and systemic within the institution.
