The British policeman accused of kidnapping and murdering a 33-year-old woman in South London made his first appearance in court on Tuesday.
Wayne Couzens, 48, had a noticeable cut on his forehead when he appeared via video link from the prison at London’s Central Criminal Court, according to Reuters. A confession hearing was planned for July, while the trial is due to begin in late October, following the death of Sarah Everard earlier this month.
An investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Office also continues on Tuesday as to how Couzens suffered a head injury after being taken into custody.
Wayne Couzens, in this sketch, makes his first appearance in the Old Bailey courthouse via a video link from the maximum security prison in Belmarsh, south London, on Tuesday. (Elizabeth Cook / PA / AP)
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Couzens, during his brief appearance in court, also made no bail requests, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the British government promises to increase funding for street lighting and indoor TV as part of a package of measures to help protect women and girls after Everard’s death.
She disappeared on March 3 while walking home in the south London neighborhood of Clapham. Everard’s remains were found in Kent, south-east London, about a week later. Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, was charged with kidnapping and murder.
Journalists try to take pictures of the inside of a prison van entering Old Bailey on Tuesday. (AP)
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday night that the government would more than double the funding for security measures in the neighborhood to $ 62 million. The government also plans to expand the trials of a pilot project that puts plainclothes policemen in and around bars and nightclubs.
The measures were announced following a meeting of government 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 the protests in honor of Everard in central London in recent days, despite coronavirus restrictions on meetings.
“Ultimately, we must eliminate violence against women and girls and make all parts of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them,” Johnson said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.