Family of Sarah Everard say they 'miss her all the time' on anniversary of her death
The family of Sarah Everard have said they "miss her all the time" as they mark one year since her murder at the hands of a serving police officer.
Sarah, 33, was falsely arrested by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens while she was walking home from a friend's house in Clapham, south London on March 3 last year.
Couzens falsely accused Sarah of breaking Covid lockdown rules and her remains were found in a woodland stream in Ashford, Kent, a week after her disappearance.
Releasing a statement through the Met Police today, Sarah's family said they "live with the sadness of their loss".
They remembered how "wonderful" Sarah was and also thanked everyone for their support since her death.
The family also acknowledged that Sarah "is not the only woman to have lost her life recently in violent circumstances", and they extended their sympathy to other grieving loved ones.
The statement in full reads: "It is a year since Sarah died and we remember her today, as every day, with all our love. Our lives have changed forever and we live with the sadness of our loss. Sarah was wonderful and we miss her all the time.
"Over the past year we have been overwhelmed with the kindness shown to us, not just by family and friends, but by the wider public. We are immensely grateful to everyone for their support, it has meant such a lot to us and has comforted us through this terrible time.
"Sadly, Sarah is not the only woman to have lost her life recently in violent circumstances and we would like to extend our deepest sympathy to other families who are also grieving."
Wayne Couzens was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
The judge told the Couzens he would die behind bars and would not be considered for release, Ms Everard's grieving family said "the world is a safer place with him imprisoned".
A non-statutory inquiry has since been launched – led by Dame Elish Angiolini – who is looking at how Couzens was able to work as a police officer for three different forces despite concerns about his behaviour.
Following this, there are plans for a second part that would look at wider issues in policing.
The Met has also commissioned its own review of the culture and standards at the force, including Couzen’s former unit – the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
On Thursday evening, a walk will take place in south-west London, which organisers The Urban Angels said is in memory of “victims of gendered violence.”
The group, which aims to make society safer for women and non-binary people, wrote it is a “chance for us all to stand in solidarity and show that we both demand and support change.”