Ministers have to this point been unable to strip Wayne Couzens, the previous police officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, of his public sector pension and are contemplating introducing laws if required, Sky Information can reveal.
In March 2021, when he was a serving Metropolitan Police officer, Couzens used his police warrant to lure Sarah Everard right into a faux arrest whereas she was strolling dwelling from a pal’s home in south London, through the COVID-19 pandemic.
He later raped and murdered her.
In 2023, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan efficiently utilized to the house secretary to have any cash that Couzens might have earned in pension funds whereas serving on the Met forfeited.
It is understood to be so small that it might be a negligible quantity due to the brief size of service there.
Mr Khan, who can also be town’s police and crime commissioner, on the time additionally believed Couzens had “roughly seven years’ pension service” with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), between 2011 and 2018, in response to a letter shared with Sky Information.
This can be a particular power which guards nuclear amenities and is the last word accountability of the power secretary. It’s not like different forces, which fall below the house secretary.
In a letter from 2023 to the then power secretary, Grant Shapps, and shared with Sky Information, Mr Khan mentioned the CNC portion of Couzens’ pension “sits exterior the conventional police pension laws”.
Freedom of data knowledge obtained by Sky Information exhibits there have been no pension forfeitures from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary between 2020 and September 2025. It’s understood that continues to be the case.
A Division for Power Safety and Web Zero spokesperson informed Sky Information they’re “completely decided that Wayne Couzens doesn’t obtain a Civil Nuclear Constabulary pension”.
Sky Information understands there’s an ongoing and complicated authorized course of, and that the federal government is contemplating laws, if required, so as to resolve it.
The CNC mentioned when Couzens was convicted, it made a suggestion to the using power that he ought to lose his pension advantages, however that it has no decision-making powers.
“After committing such heinous crimes, Wayne Couzens shouldn’t obtain a penny in taxpayer-funded pension. Londoners can be livid if he did,” Sadiq Khan informed Sky Information.
“Each doable step needs to be taken to make sure that Wayne Couzens doesn’t obtain his Civil Nuclear Constabulary pension.”
It’s doable for a pension forfeiture to provide a person again the cash that they’ve contributed, whereas the state retains any cash paid in by the police service, funded by the taxpayer.
“When in jail Wayne Couzens’ pension can be suspended, however on his demise his household might be entitled to as much as 50% of his pension,” Bethan Shellard-Dedman, a lecturer in policing apply, informed Sky Information.
Learn extra from Sky Information:
Sarah Everard report ‘disturbing’
Wayne Couzens: Timeline of killer
Everard’s mother ‘tormented’
The necessities for an officer to have their pension forfeited are that they commit an offence in opposition to the Official Secrets and techniques Act or they’re convicted of an offence that’s both; “gravely injurious to the pursuits of the state”, in reference to their “service as a member of a police power” or “liable to result in a critical lack of confidence within the public service”.
“If the forfeiture is profitable, the person officer has their contribution returned. The police power would then retain what they contributed. The quantities of which may differ,” mentioned Ms Shellard-Dedman.
“Should you consider that pot as a complete as 100%, what the power contributes is often round 65%. They’ll both get the total 65% again or they will get 30% again, during which case the officer would then retain some police pension. Nevertheless it is dependent upon the person award.”
Couzens has been convicted of crimes dedicated in 2021 in opposition to Sarah Everard, and indecent publicity offences dedicated in February 2021 and 2020.
These offences had been through the interval he served on the Metropolitan Police.
