Statement on the sentencing of the killer of Sarah Everard
Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said:
“Our hearts go out to Sarah Everard’s family, friends and everyone who loved her, who will be devastated to have learnt about her horrific fate. I welcome the whole life tariff issued to Wayne Couzens and he deserves to die in prison for the monstrous acts he committed that night in March.
This verdict is a fundamental moment for our country, leading to decisive action in tackling violence against women and girls which is at epidemic proportions and where women feel really-afraid to be out on our streets.
This needs to include a bill to protect women and girls, to make it an offence to harass women on the street and increased sentences.
Like women across the country, I was devastated to learn the details of how Sarah was murdered, and I know that all women and girls are feeling pain and hurt.
My message to women in Newham is that we will stand together in solidarity and action in this fight for justice not just for Sarah but for all women who have been murdered and those who have experienced violence at the hands of men.
There are also serious questions the Metropolitan Police need to answer concerning how someone in their ranks was able to abuse their position in such a heinous way. Here in Newham we are demanding our Police’s unrelenting focus in making our streets a safe place for all women in our communities, and we’ll carry on holding them to account - ensuring that they instil the trust and confidence of all women and girls across our borough as we do more to make our borough safe."
Councillor James Beckles Cabinet Member for Crime and Community Safety said:
“Today must be a wakeup call for the government to take real action on violence against women and girls.
In Newham, we have called for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime so that all acts of harassment and violence can be prosecuted. Since Sarah's tragic murder, 80 women have since been killed 'by men' nationally, that is far too many and sadly highlights the scale of the problem is at epidemic proportions.
The sentencing today shows that justice has been achieved for Sarah. However discrimination and harassment of women remains a pressing concern and convictions for rape remain low, so I echo the call for government to do more to address these matters by strengthening legal procedures and properly funding support for women at the local level and ensuring police officers have the appropriate training to deal with these traumatic experiences for women, many of whom may already be marginalised.
Women should not have to change the way they live their lives to avoid harassment, discrimination or violence, and we will be working closely with the police, partners and our community to ensure women not just feel safe but are safe on our streets.”