Disappearance of Sarah Everard in London After Hours

[Cherub]

A body that was found during the search for Sarah Everard has been confirmed by police as hers.

The 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared as she walked home in south London last week.

A serving Met officer remains in custody having been held on suspicion of Ms Everard's kidnap and murder.

Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave confirmed the body found in woodland near Ashford, Kent, was Ms Everard's.

Mr Ephgrave said: "As you know, on Wednesday evening detectives investigating the disappearance of Sarah Everard discovered a body secreted in woodland in Kent.

"The body has now been recovered and formal identification procedure has now been undertaken."

Ms Everard was last seen on 3 March walking alone down a main road in Clapham at 21:30 GMT, with police saying it was unclear whether she reached her home in Brixton.

Mr Ephgrave added: "Specialist officers remain in constant contact with Sarah's family, and will continue to support them throughout the investigation and beyond.

"That investigation continues at a pace and we have hundreds of officers working round the clock to establish the full circumstances of Sarah's disappearance, and her murder."

Throughout the week, searches have been carried out in Clapham, where Ms Everard was last seen, as well as at a home in Deal and the woodland in Ashford.

On Tuesday, the Met officer was arrested in Kent on suspicion of Ms Everard's kidnap and was later rearrested on suspicion of her murder.

The Met is facing an investigation by the police watchdog into its handling of a separate allegation of indecent exposure against the arrested officer.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is to look at whether officers "responded appropriately" after receiving a report that a man had exposed himself at a fast food restaurant in south London on February 28 - three days before Ms Everard went missing.

Well our worse fears confirmed, my heart goes out to Sarah's family and all her friends and work colleagues.

This makes my stomach turn. What makes somebody commit such a heinous crime, it just beggars belief.

 

[Snoops]

Tragic. Let's just hope that this evil ba*tard pleads guilty so that Sarah's loved ones don't have to endure every horrible detail laid bare in a trial.

They are now searching the family owned garage where the suspect worked before becoming a policeman.

 

[Birdman]

Its a shite world we live in sometimes, I've been following this since the news broke, and was hoping it would be just a run of the mill one where she turned up a day or two later like a lot do.

 

[Welshy]

Wayne Couzens, the suspect has now been charged with the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard.

He was rushed to hospital for the second time in three days with a head injury sustained in custody today - looks like he's trying to top himself.

 

[Donna]

This is a shocking case. What could be more normal than walking home from a friend's house and yet it has ended tragically.