Wayne Couzens: Three Met officers charged over alleged racist and misogynistic messages with Sarah Everard's killer

Three police officers who worked with Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens have been charged over allegations they shared racist and misogynistic messages with him.

Two serving Metropolitan Police officers and one former officer have been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on WhatsApp, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) sent prosecutors a file on allegations the three shared racist and misogynistic messages with Couzens between April and August 2019.

The three are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on March 16. The CPS said it cannot confirm the names of the officers for operational reasons.

Couzens was handed a whole life order at the Old Bailey for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: "Following a referral of evidence by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the CPS has authorised charges against two serving Metropolitan Police officers and one former officer.

"All three will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 March for their first hearing.

"Each of the three defendants has been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network. The alleged offences took place on a WhatsApp group chat.

"The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges to a court to consider.

"Criminal proceedings are active and nothing should be published that could jeopardise the defendants right to a fair trial."

Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty to rape murder of Sarah Everard and was later handed a whole life sentence.

Couzens was a serving Met Police officer at the time of the crime.

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