Tuesday, 24 Sep 2024

Wayne Couzens 'repeatedly flashed McDonald's workers at drive-thru'

The Metropolitan Police were told Sarah Everard’s killer repeatedly flashed McDonald’s workers just weeks before he murdered her, it has been claimed.

An unnamed woman who was employed at a drive-thru branch on the A20 near Swanley, Kent, says Wayne Couzens pulled up to the order hatch with his trousers down on several occasions, most recently in February.

The force now faces questions over how it handled at least four reported incidents of indecent exposure by the 48-year-old, who was serving as an armed diplomatic protection officer when he kidnapped, raped and murdered Ms Everard.

His alleged victim told MailOnline: ‘He casually pulled up to the serving hatch having ordered his food and I could clearly see that he was naked from below the waist.

‘It was not the first time that he had done this when he came to McDonald’s, but I was the only female member of staff to report it. I’m glad I took a stand and alerted the authorities because it was the right thing do.

‘But I never imagined that he would go on to murder a woman, it’s tragic. The whole has thing left me quite disturbed.’ 

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct is already looking into whether officers ‘responded appropriately’ when they were called to a McDonald’s in south London on February 28, three days before the tragedy.

CCTV footage and eyewitnesses covering two flashing incidents at the branch on the same day were said to have been available, along with a vehicle number plate through which officers were able to identify an owner.

But Couzens was not identified as a suspect in the case until murder detectives on Sarah’s case started looking into his background.

The police watchdog will weigh up whether the Met should have progressed the flashing case more quickly or if officers correctly weighed the demands of dealing with other serious offences.

It is also looking into accusations that Kent Police, where Couzens previously volunteered, failed to investigate reports in 2015 that a man had been spotted driving down a road with no trousers on.

The Met have insisted their vetting process could not have picked up concerns around the murderer when he was hired.

But in a statement on Thursday evening it admitted ‘one of a range of checks’ prompted by his application ‘may not have been undertaken correctly’.

A vehicle registered to Couzens was linked to the 2015 allegation, yet the Met’s review found that the ‘record of this allegation and outcome may not have been found during the vetting checks.

‘However, the review we conducted found that despite this there was no information available to the Met at the time that would have changed the vetting decision.’

The statement added that the force was not ‘aware of any other concerns raised by Couzens’ colleagues, or anyone else, regarding his behaviour prior to him joining the Met or since’.

It’s believed this refers to how colleagues at Couzens’ previous employer, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, reportedly nicknamed him ‘The Rapist’ because he made female colleagues feel uncomfortable’

Jurors at his murder trial were also told he had been ‘attracted to brutal sexual pornography’ as early as 2002.

Kent Police and the Met have been approached for comment on the latest allegations.

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