Wayne Couzens, 53, the killer of Sarah Everard, is languishing behind bars at HMP Frankland – colloquially known as ‘Monster Mansion’ – where child killer Ian Huntley was attacked last week
He was once a trusted figure in society, but abused his power when he coerced Sarah Everard her into his vehicle – and she was never seen alive again.
Evil Wayne Couzens exploited his role as a police officer to handcuff the young woman on the fateful evening of March 3, 2021. In an act so heinous it ignited protests nationwide, as 33-year-old Sarah was sexually assaulted and murdered by Couzens, who had previously been accused of a sexual assault on a child prior to embarking on his career in law enforcement.
The married father of two, having transported marketing executive Sarah from South London to Kent, proceeded to incinerate her remains before discarding them in a woodland, denying her heartbroken family the opportunity to gaze upon her face one final time.
READ MORE: Bid to strip Sarah Everard killer cop Wayne Couzens of pension
This chilling case thrust the issue of violence against women into the spotlight, yet, over five years later, it feels like little has changed. Last year, a disturbing report warned that “too many” perpetrators are evading justice due to a “critical failure” in crime recording. Lady Elish Angilolini, who spearheaded an inquiry initiated in the wake of Sarah’s murder, discovered that numerous sexual predators continue to elude punishment, with preventative measures often amounting to “just words”.
Couzens, aged 53, is currently incarcerated at the notorious HMP Frankland in Durham, colloquially known as ‘Monster Mansion’, where ongoing reports about his grim existence continue to provoke widespread disgust and disdain.
Monster Mansion
Last week, fellow inmate Ian Huntley was attacked behind bars at HMP Frankland and is currently fighting for his life. Before the assault, his third during 24 years in prison, Huntley had become paranoid that fellow inmates were poisoning him. He was left in a pool of blood following the attack shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Police and prison authorities have not confirmed the identity of the suspect, named as triple killer Anthony Russell.
Huntley, who worked as a cleaner on A wing at Frankland, had given up prison food because he was so convinced his fellow inmates were “out to get him.” Instead, he bought fast food and confectionery from the shop, causing his weight to balloon.
Huntley is serving a life sentence for the murders of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4, 2002.
‘Bounty on head’
Reformed offender Ricky Killeen, who completed a five-year stretch at Frankland following his involvement in a machete attack, said Couzens will spend his remaining years in prison constantly watching his back, particularly given his previous role in the force.
Killeen said that former police officers “become number one targets”, adding: “If it is a high-security prison, the violence is likely to be extreme. They will either get slashed, they will get stabbed in the neck, they will try to take their eyes out, they will chuck boiling hot oil over them or use a boiling hot kettle full of sugar.”
One particularly harrowing episode saw a prisoner sustain severe burns to his head following an attack involving a concoction of boiling water and melted butter – a crude weapon dubbed “swilling”, designed specifically to intensify excruciating burns. In separate incidents, makeshift weapons have been fashioned from items including a smashed DVD player and fragments of a shattered ceramic toilet pan.
There are concerns that Couzens faces an even greater threat of such violence, with a prison insider revealing to the publication: “To be a police officer in a Cat A prison would make you a target, but to be such a high-profile prisoner means there is zero chance that you can be on a normal wing. He will have a bounty on his head.
Couzens will be serving out his life sentence in segregation. His is a face that everyone knows – and his notoriety won’t diminish over time. He will be on a small, vulnerable prisoners’ wing, kept far from the main population at all times, where there are lower levels of association.”
Speaking to the Mirror, clinical psychologist Dr Tracy King said protecting notorious offenders “has always been complex,” but “it becomes even more challenging when the wider prison system is under strain and the emotional impact on staff is often overlooked.”
She said: “In cases like Ian Huntley, or Wayne Couzens, the offender is not just another prisoner. They are a symbol. Their crimes are widely known, widely condemned, and emotionally charged. That increases the risk of inmate-on-inmate hostility, which in turn requires tighter management , controlled movement, separation, intelligence monitoring, and careful staffing. When prisons are facing staffing shortages, those layers of oversight become harder to maintain consistently. The margin for error narrows.
“In the case of someone like Couzens, there is an added layer because of the public service role he once occupied. He was part of a uniformed institution associated with protection and authority. When someone from that position commits a crime of this nature, it can feel like a betrayal not just to the public, but to other uniformed services more broadly. That can create an emotional undercurrent for staff managing him, not necessarily hostility, but heightened sensitivity, scrutiny, and awareness.
“In supervision settings, officers often describe the tension between professional obligation and personal reaction. They know the state has a duty of care. They know safety must be maintained. But in highly symbolic cases, the emotional labour increases. Staff may feel conscious of public perception, of reputational implications, and of not appearing aligned with or sympathetic toward someone who has disgraced a uniformed role. That psychological pressure sits alongside the practical task of keeping the person safe. Technologically protection is harder than may years again as need is digital and travels fast and public opinion is fuelled in the fire of social media.”
Xbox whinge
Back in March 2022, The Sun revealed that Couzens had been granted permission to purchase an Xbox 360 as recognition for good conduct, only to complain when he discovered violent shooting games would be off-limits. The source stated: “He was cock a hoop at getting the console, but very disappointed he couldn’t order the violent 18-rated games. That means he cannot sit in his cell playing Call of Duty and Gears of War. He was moaning about that and will have to content himself with things like the motorsport and fantasy games.
“It is probably best for him that he stays in his cell away from all the other cons anyway. But it is pretty sick that he wanted to play the shooter games, given the fact he was obsessed with guns before he killed Sarah.”
‘Morgue Monster’ friendship
In April 2022, the Mirror exclusively uncovered that Couzens had formed a deeply disturbing prison alliance with “Morgue Monster” David Fuller, who violated the corpses of over 100 deceased women. A source disclosed how the duo developed a rapport after being housed on the same wing at HMP Frankland, explaining, “We call them The Odd Couple.”
Beyond both being twisted offenders, Couzens and Fuller seemingly share additional connections, including their Kent origins, and allegedly relish conversing together. Our source revealed: “They know some of the same areas from back in the day. The idea of them swapping stories turns my stomach.”
Ex-electrician Fuller was jailed for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, back in 1987.
He was eventually nailed for the notorious “bedsit murders” 33 years after carrying out the crimes, courtesy of breakthroughs in DNA technology. Fuller, who filmed vile footage of himself violating dozens of bodies between 2008 and 2020, received two life sentences for the murders plus an additional 12 years for desecrating corpses at the Kent hospital where he’d previously been employed.
Birthday present complaint
In April 2024, the Mail Online revealed that Couzens lodged an official complaint after prison bosses prevented the delivery of a present from his mother, meant to celebrate his 50th birthday. The episode saw Couzens fume over being denied the package, which held a book and clothing items, in line with standard regulations that prohibited prisoners from receiving parcels posted from home.
In a grievance submitted to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Couzens allegedly whined that these restrictions had not been clarified to him adequately, meaning he and his relatives were unaware that he couldn’t accept gifts from home. Claiming that his mother had been left financially disadvantaged, the convicted rapist and killer even went so far as to demand that she receive monetary compensation.
A source revealed to the publication: “It might seem incredible after his case horrified the country – how he took advantage of his police status to target, deceive, rape and murder poor Sarah – that Wayne Couzens was doing this. But that’s exactly what happened – just a year on from getting his life term, he was writing busybody letters of complaint about not getting a birthday present. The whole episode was unbelievable.”
Dr King said Couzens’ focus on presents isn’t surprising, adding: “It isn’t unusual for inmates to become highly focused on what might seem like small things, access to certain games, parcels arriving on time, minor standards complaints. When you’ve lost your freedom, those details can feel disproportionately important because they’re the only pieces of your environment you can try to influence.
She continued: “In certain personality profiles, entitlement and limited empathy often travel together. When someone struggles to emotionally register the impact of their actions, their attention can remain fixed on their own inconvenience instead of the victim’s suffering. Remorse is an internal emotional state. It cannot be measured simply by whether someone complains. However, when the loudest frustrations centre on personal privileges rather than accountability, it can reinforce the impression that psychological ownership of the harm is not fully integrated.”
Lumbar operation
Last June, it emerged that Couzens had been whisked off to an NHS hospital for a lumbar procedure, a spinal operation costing the NHS around £7,000. The expense of transporting Couzens from Frankland in a bulletproof van, flanked by high-security escorts, was estimated at a whopping £10,000.
This sparked fury from Labour’s MP for North Durham, Luke Akehurst, who voiced his dismay that the murderer had seemingly bypassed the usual 18-week waiting list for the ‘spinal tap’. Speaking to The Sun, Mr Akehurst expressed: “I would be disgusted if it turns out that this vile rapist and murderer was able to jump the queue in front of decent law-abiding people to get his treatment.”
He further commented: “The cost of the security surrounding his time in hospital is an appalling waste of public money.” It’s reported that Couzens spent three days in the hospital before being moved back to Frankland’s healthcare unit. An insider also revealed to the publication that this was a non-emergency procedure, designed “to make him comfortable”.
The source disclosed: “People are angry at how he was treated – and how much effort the authorities went to, as well as how much it cost. Couzens is constantly moaning in jail and had been complaining about back pain, so was assessed in healthcare at the prison.
“He was taken straight from his cell into a Category A van, which is bulletproof, with a custody manager and at least four prison officers. Whilst he was at the hospital, armed police would have been on guard. Couzens was classed as a ‘high-risk escort’ – not because he poses a danger but because of the danger to him from the public.
“He is recognisable and reviled, so they do not take chances. He would have been treated on a ward – but in his own room – to keep him away from people. The prison and NHS have a duty of care to him, like they do with everyone. But this was apparently not even an emergency procedure and was basically done to relieve pressure on him and make him comfortable.”
Family house for sale
In August 2023, reports emerged that Couzens’ family residence in Deal, Kent – where he’d resided with wife Olena and their two youngsters for five years before his 2021 arrest – had returned to the property market. The three-bedroom home was originally put up for sale earlier that year with a £300,000 asking price, but attracted no buyers.
In its second listing, the price tag was slashed to £280,000. Estate agents marketed the dwelling as an “ideal terraced family house”, highlighting its “three double bedrooms and ample living space”. The Rightmove listing describes: “The rear garden is a great size and overlooks fields behind.
“To the front, there is a blocked paved driveway and garage. The property has been well cared for and has a modern kitchen, bathroom, and log burner.” Whilst the hot tub Couzens installed isn’t specifically mentioned, images of the rear garden reveal a wooden framework built for the outdoor spa. It’s currently unknown whether the house finally sold or not.
Responding to the five-year anniversary of the murder of Sarah Everard on March 3rd, Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, said: “Five years on from the horrific murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of former Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, women and girls’ confidence in policing remains at crisis point. In the past five years, we’ve seen promises of reform and some welcome policy advancements, but women and girls deserve more. They need to see meaningful, lasting change to prevent atrocities like those committed against Sarah from ever happening again.
“Following Sarah’s murder, the Angiolini Inquiry sought to examine how such a vile crime was able to happen. Yet the second part of the Inquiry – published last December – found that many of the recommendations from part one have not been fully implemented. Alarmingly, the recommendation that officers with prior sexual offence convictions or cautions be barred from policing has still not been universally applied.
“Refuge has long called for a fundamental shift in police culture and practice, including significantly improving vetting practices to prevent perpetrators from gaining and keeping positions of power. While the Met has reviewed and removed a number of officers accused of violence against women and girls (VAWG) or other criminal offences, it previously recruited many officers without proper vetting. In the past five years alone, thousands have been allowed to join the force or remain in post without proper checks, including David Carrick and Cliff Mitchell.
“In response to Refuge’s Remove the Rot campaign, which revealed the scale of police-perpetrated abuse, the Government’s recent VAWG strategy committed to a new policy requiring all police officers to hold and maintain vetting clearance. It also committed to delivering on the Government’s 2024 manifesto pledge to strengthen requirements on forces to suspend officers under investigation for specified VAWG offences. While both measures are welcome, we are still waiting for implementation, more than 18 months after the Government took office.
“Refuge continues to mourn the loss of Sarah and stands with her family, as well as the many other women who have paid the price for policing’s ongoing failure to treat violence against women and girls with the seriousness it demands. The Met and the Government must now move beyond rhetoric and deliver real change by putting women and girls’ safety at the heart of policing.”
