A London police officer has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping Sarah Everard.

Everard, 33, went missing last March whilst on her way home from a friend’s house in Clapham, London. Her body was discovered a week later in a woodland area near Kent. 

Shortly after, Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering her after.

Appearing in court today, Couzens pleaded guilty both to kidnap and rape. He also accepted responsibility for Evarard’s death but did not enter a plea on the charge of murder.

The shocking kidnapping sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation, with Reclaim These Streets protests being held across the whole of the United Kingdom. 

Following Everard’s kidnapping, Maltese people residing in London took part in an online campaign to help locate the 33-year-old, including sharing CCTV footage of her last known location.

The tragic news also cast a painful light on the reality of being a woman in Malta with people speaking up about their own incidents of sexual harassment on the street. 

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