Wayne Couzens biography: 13 things about ex-Met Police officer born in Dover, Kent, England

Wayne Couzens was born in Dover, Kent, South East England, England, United Kingdom. He is Ray Couzens‘ son, Corrine Couzens‘ stepson, David Couzens‘ brother and Kevin Fowle‘s nephew.

In 1990, Wayne started working as a light-vehicle body repair technician at his family’s garage business BCB Dover in Western Heights, Dover, which was established in 1967 and closed in 2015. He left BBC Dover in 2011 and later worked at the Dungeness Nuclear Power station in Kent.

After marrying Elena Sukhoreba, Wayne started learning the Ukrainian language and visiting Ukraine every year, according to his mother-in-law Nina Sukhoreba of Kirovograd, Ukraine. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 2006, he married Elena. That year, he joined the Kent Police in Folkestone, Kent as a special constable.
2. In 2008, he became a traffic officer with Kent Police. He lived in the top floor flat of a converted period property in Folkestone for three years. His landlady was Shannette Roy.
3. In March 2011, he joined the Civic Nuclear Constabulary (CNC).
4. In 2015, he and Elena bought a three-bedroom house in Freemen’s Way, Deal, Kent for £200,000. They lived in the house with their two children and a pup dog, according to their neighbor Pamela Cane. Another neighbor named John Chidwick described him as a nice, well-spoken and friendly bloke. On June 9, 2015, he allegedly exposed himself to a male pedestrian as he drove past the pedestrian in Dover without his trousers.
5. In 2017, he and his family spent a holiday in Ukraine. In 2019, they visited Dubai, United Arab Emirates. _(a)
6. In September 2018, he transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service. He became a member of the elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection squad, which was formed in 2015. Based at the Palace of Westminster in London, he was entitled to carry a firearm and a Metropolitan Police Service warrant card and has provided static security for major public events attended by the Royal Family’s senior members.
7. On November 13, 2020, he was supposed to be on duty when he emerged naked from woodland and masturbated in front of a female cyclist at the roadside near Deal.
8. He exposed himself to female staff at McDonald’s in South London on February 14, 2021 and on February 28, 2021, which were captured on closed-circuit television. At 8:00 p.m. on March 3, 2021, he finished his shift at the United States embassy in Nine Elms, Wandsworth, London. At around 9:30 p.m. that night, Sarah Everard was last seen alive in Clapham, London.
9. While serving as a Metropolitan Police Service officer, he was arrested at his home in Freemen’s Way on March 9, 2021 while Elena was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. He was accused of kidnapping Everard after a car linked to him was allegedly spotted on a motorist’s dashcam near to where she was last seen. On March 10, 2021, detectives carried out a search of his locker at the police base in the Palace of Westminster while police searched his home and garden in Freemen’s Way and took away a black Seat Exeo worth £20,000 ($26,852) on a lowloader. On the same day, Everard was found dead in Ashford, Kent and he was re-arrested on suspicion of killing her. On March 11, 2021, he was alone in his cell at the Wandsworth police station where he was found unconscious after suffering serious head wounds. He was given first aid and was rushed to St. George’s Hospital in Tooting, London. After treatment and a brain scan, he was returned to custody.
10. On March 13, 2021, he appeared in court before Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, who remanded him in custody to appear again at the Old Bailey in London on March 16, 2021. With a red wound on his head while wearing a grey tracksuit, he spoke only to confirm his name, birthdate and address. On June 8, 2021, he appeared in court via video link from Her Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh in Thamesmead, London and pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of Everard. On July 9, 2021, he pleaded guilty to murdering Everard.
11. When his sentencing started on September 29, 2021, it was revealed that he handcuffed Everard before kidnapping, raping and killing her on March 3, 2021 then burned her body, clothes and possessions and days after killing her, he took a call about his children’s’ dental appointments and called a veterinarian to consult on his dog having separation anxiety. On September 30, 2021, Lord Justice Adrian Fulford handed him a whole life sentence at the Old Bailey.
12. On February 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent exposure on November 13, 2020, on February 14, 2021 and on February 28, 2021. On March 6, 2023, he was additionally sentenced to 19 further months for those charges. On December 20, 2023, he turned 51.
13. On February 29, 2024, inquiry chairwoman Lady Elish Angiolini published her findings, branding him a predatory sex offender and murderer. What he did to Everard is the subject of the documentary “Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice”, which aired on BBC on March 5, 2024.