The facts of this case, in all their painful detail, are essentially undisputed and they have been rehearsed most carefully and with great clarity by Mr Little Q.C., leading counsel for the Crown. It would serve no useful purpose for me to repeat at length what has already been said. Instead, I intend simply to highlight those aspects of what occurred that are in my view of particular relevance to the issue of sentence. First and foremost, Sarah Everard was a wholly blameless victim of a grotesquely executed series of offences that culminated in her death and the disposal of her body. She was 33 years of age and had been working in marketing since graduating from Durham University, and she was simply walking home mid-evening having visited a friend during the COVID pandemic. She was an intelligent, resourceful, talented and much-loved young woman, still in the early years of her life. I have not the slightest doubt that the defendant used his position as a police officer to coerce her on a wholly false pretext into the car he had hired for this purpose. It is most likely that he suggested to Sarah Everard that she had breached the restrictions on movement that were being enforced during that stage of the pandemic. Any explanation other than coercion fails to take into account her character and the evidence of the occupants of a passing vehicle who saw her being handcuffed. It is to be emphasised that the defendant was long used to exercising this kind of authority given he had previously been a member of the Kent Special Constabulary, moving to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in 2011. He joined the Metropolitan Police in September 2018 and since February 2020 he had worked for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, as an authorised Firearms Officer. He had participated in Covid patrols, to ensure that the regulations were enforced.
The Met did no vetting. I believe they are now being investigated about that.
And all that coverage about her being blameless (@Mister44 - it’s just a word) certainly IS offensive, but they are all just quoting directly from the judge’s sentencing comments.
Oops ETA to say I see @jerwin beat me to that part.
It isn’t used consistently. It isnt used for trans women. It isn’t used for black women. It isnt used for any women except a very privileged few. If all victims were considered blameless they wouldn’t need to differentiate. That’s not “one way to look at it” but rather “how words work”. I’m not sure why you want to imagine some pretense for making it otherwise so badly. Everyone can agree that some victims are blameless so the onus on victims becomes proving whether or not they are one of the good ones. This is just how rape culture works.
Very old school British vetting; see Kim Philby.
As an existing longtime member of the LEO club, it’s assumed that he’s A-OK. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command jobs make his career look prestigious and would give him a pass within the law enforcement club.
To be eligible to claim you must be a blameless victim of crime who has been directly injured (mentally or physically) as a result of a crime of violence. It is also possible to claim if you have been a witness to a loved one being the subject of a crime of violence or lost a loved one as a result of a crime.
after he literally murdered a woman having flashed a few women prior with no repercussions? the bar is set low for wangland I guess*
*due to brexit and the violations of the good friday agreement, Scotland will abscond, and Ireland unite, so time to get out the habit of calling it “knifecrime island” now
This one did. He was a firearms officer for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. Before joining the Met he worked for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, which is responsible for security at nuclear power facilities. All Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers carry firearms.
Well yeah, actually denouncing it after the fact is the literal least they can do, but US cops often fail even at that because they apparently don’t care that a fellow officer raped/murdered someone (or more than one person).
Right, which is why I made a point of mentioning it - he not only was a cop, but had been cleared for the highest-security police work.
Homicide is a crime that has the defense of justifiability. When seeking the maximum penalty I would expect prosecutors to always note the murder victim did nothing to provoke the attack, even if it is extremely obvious.
I think entirely too much has been read into blamelessness. It is a standard way for the court to recognize that the homicide did not arise from self defense.
Contrast
Mr Ly was not blameless, as he also used a knife, but he did not deserve to die. He was 21 years old at the time of his murder. He had been born in Guinea-Bissau and had spent some time living in Portugal and England before settling in Leeds with his step- mother, with whom he was very close. He was doing a business course at college. I have read the Victim Personal Statements from his mother, his father, and his step- mother, all of whom have attended this trial. They describe a happy, helpful, and family-minded young man, who was loved by his family and friends. His family have been shocked and very distressed by his death, and it has had a major impact on his brothers and other family members.
It is clear from his sentencing remarks that the judge was acutely aware of KS’ age and his personality disorder, and he was also aware that he had only recently been bailed in connection with another offence. It takes very little imagination to reflect on the impact that this offence would have had in the locality; a young man, utterly blameless, simply gunned down as he walked down the street, and perhaps the most chilling feature of all was the sheer randomness with which he was chosen to be the victim. KS had decided that he was going to kill someone, and he organised a loaded firearm, carried it, and executed his plan. His attitude to the offence is chilling. He has revelled in it. That adds significantly to the seriousness of this crime.
