Susan Everard has written a heartfelt tribute to her daughter Sarah in British Vogue, five years on from her murder, remembering how she loved to dance and ‘added to the beauty of the world’
The mother of Sarah Everard has reflected on how she “added to the beauty of the world”, five years after her death.
Susan Everard penned a heartfelt tribute for British Vogue, recalling her daughter’s passion for travelling, dancing and her sharp wit, alongside her strong moral compass.
Miss Everard was captured by Vogue’s lens at V Festival in 2010, as part of the magazine’s street fashion series – something her mother said left her “thrilled” to be included in. She wrote: “It was 2010 when the photograph was taken and, although it is bittersweet, I love to see her, happy and beautiful, with her whole life ahead of her.”
READ MORE: Sarah Everard’s family ‘couldn’t see her to say goodbye’ due to killer’s actREAD MORE: Parents of Sarah Everard killed by police officer call for ‘life sentence’ name change
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“It was a golden time then she had recently graduated and was back home from travels to south-east Asia and already making plans for future adventures. She explained the marketing executive had been devoted to exploring the globe, with trips taking her to South America, South Africa and Nepal.
“She was interested in the world around her and made the most of life. There was a depth to her, she led her life with decency and integrity,” Mrs Everard wrote. She cared about others and worried about us in the pandemic. She had a large network of friends who were dear to her; we meet up with them now to celebrate her.”
“I miss the goodness of Sarah: she was thoughtful and dependable and highly principled.” She recalled her daughter’s sense of humour, described her as “a beautiful dancer,” and shared how she misses simple pleasures like exchanging recipes together.
“Most of all, she was a loving and caring young woman,” the heartbroken mother penned in a touching tribute to her daughter, stating that her numerous friendships were a testament to her lovely nature.
“She added to the beauty of the world,” wrote Susan Everard. Her poignant words came as Britain’s top cop, Sir Mark Rowley, praised the family’s “extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief” on the fifth anniversary of Sarah’s tragic murder.
Sarah Everard, aged 33, was horrifically raped and murdered by an active Metropolitan Police officer who duped her into believing she could be arrested for breaching COVID lockdown rules whilst walking home from a mate’s house in south London on 3 March 2021.
In a statement released by the force, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark expressed: “Sarah Everard should still be here. Five years have passed since her senseless and devastating murder. What happened to her was a profound betrayal: of her, of her family and loved ones, and of every person who places their trust in policing.”
He acknowledged the fact that her killer was a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, saying it was “as devastating today as it was in 2021”. He described it as an “unthinkable abuse of power and a total violation of the values that the Met, and policing, stands for.
“On the day I heard what he had done, I felt devastated for the immense harm his actions caused to the trust that underpins our relationship with the communities we serve. What he did shook policing to its core. It made decent, dedicated officers and staff across the country furious that one of our own could commit such a monstrous crime.
“I will always be deeply sorry: for the unimaginable harm done to Sarah, for the trauma endured by her family – who have shown extraordinary dignity in the face of unbearable grief – and for the profound damage inflicted on the trust Londoners should be able to place in their police service.
“Couzens received a whole-life prison sentence at the conclusion of his Old Bailey trial in September 2021, and the poignant victim impact statement delivered by Ms Everard’s mother led to the exposure of another predator lurking within the Met’s ranks. One of David Carrick’s victims was inspired to step forward and report to the police, ultimately leading to his conviction as a serial rapist.
These cases prompted two scathing reviews – one being a report by Baroness Louise Casey in March 2023 that labelled the Met as institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Subsequently, an investigation by Dame Elish Angiolini in February 2024 concluded that the Met and two other police forces could and should have prevented Couzens from serving as a police officer.
Sir Mark led the charge in overhauling the Met, with 1,500 officers and staff having been dismissed, resigned or retired over the past three years. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan acknowledged there is “much more work to do” to ensure women and girls feel secure in the capital, pledging to do “everything in my power to help end violence against women and girls as we continue to build a safer London for everyone”.
Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, stated: “Five years on from Sarah Everard’s tragic murder, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her. I will do everything I can to ensure women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so cruelly denied.”
