The British police officer accused of kidnapping and killing a 33-year-old woman in south London made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, Wayne Couzens (48) had a noticeable cut on his forehead when he appeared at the Central Criminal Court in London via a video link. A plea trial was scheduled for July, while a trial is expected to begin in late October following the death of Sarah Everard earlier this month.
An investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct is also continuing on how Couzens sustained a head injury after being arrested.
Wayne Couzens, in this sketch, makes his first appearance at Old Bailey Court on Tuesday via a video link from Belmarsh’s top prison in south London. (Elizabeth Cook / PA / AP)
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Couzens also did not apply for bail during his brief court appearance, reports Reuters.
Meanwhile, the British government promises to increase funding for street lighting and closed-circuit TV as part of a package of measures to protect women and girls in the aftermath of the murder of Everard.
She disappeared on March 3 when she walked home in the Clapham neighborhood in south London. Everard’s remains were found about a week later in Kent, south-east London. Couzens, a serving officer with the Metropolitan Police, is charged with her kidnapping and murder.
Journalists on Tuesday tried to take photos of the inside of a jail car moving into the Old Bailey. (AP)
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday night that the government would more than double its funding for security measures in the area to $ 62 million. The government also plans to expand trials of a pilot project that puts ordinary police officers in and around pubs and nightclubs.
The measures were announced after a meeting of ministers, prosecutors and senior police officers.
Sarah Everard was found dead about a week after her disappearance.
(Metropolitan Police)
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Hundreds of people have joined protests in honor of Everard in central London over the past few days, despite coronavirus restrictions at rallies.
“Ultimately, we need to dispel violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them,” Johnson said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.