In a rare public appearance, Jeremy and Susan Everard, whose daughter Sarah was murdered in 2021, will launch campaign group Justice for Victims alongside other bereaved families
The parents of Sarah Everard will today join families whose loved ones were killed to demand tougher sentences.
In a rare public appearance, Jeremy and Susan Everard, whose daughter was murdered by evil cop Wayne Couzens in 2021, will launch the campaign group Justice For Victims in Parliament. The couple said Couzens’ whole life order made them feel the enormity of his crime was recognised – but not all families get this “small comfort”.
Group members include Katie Brett, whose 16-year-old sister Sasha Marsden was raped and stabbed more than 100 times in 2013. Her murderer David Minto could be freed after serving 35 years.
Also calling for change is Ayse Hussein, whose cousin Jan Mustafa was one of two women found dead in the freezer of violent sex offender Zahid Younis. After admitting the sickening double murder Younis was given a minimum term of 38 years – which Ms Hussein branded an “insult”.
Mr and Mrs Everard said: “Although nothing can alleviate the sense of loss, it is a relief to us that our daughter’s murderer received a whole life order. It made us feel that the enormity of his crime was recognised and that our daughter’s life was valued.
“We know of other families in similar circumstances who have not had this small comfort; we feel it is important that sentences should truly reflect the seriousness of the crime and give victims, their families and society a sense of justice having been served.”
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Sarah was preyed on by Couzens as she walked home alone in south London in March 2021. The police officer, who had a long history of sex offences, later admitted kidnap, rape and murder.
The new group calls for stricter sentencing for sexual and violent criminals. Member Paula Hudgell, whose adopted son Tony had both legs amputated after enduring horrendous abuse by his birth parents, said: “When criminals abuse children they are creating a devastating impact for the rest of that child’s life.
“Many decades can be spent wrestling with the aftermath. Yet perpetrators can be out of prison living a free life whilst the suffering for the victim goes on for decades. We need a justice system that reflects that properly.”
Describing the impact of her cousin’s murder, Ms Hussein said: “Nothing can bring our beautiful loved one back and the impact of her loss has affected us all in so many ways.
“The term ‘life sentence’ is an insult and often gets reported as ‘jailed for life’. It doesn’t mean that at all. I know one day my cousin’s murderer will probably be getting out of prison and going back to his family. Jan is never coming back home to ours.”
And Ms Brett said: “The people who really get the life sentence are families like mine. In the end most murderers end up getting out of prison – sometimes as after as little 15 or 20 years.
“My sister had decades of life ahead of her. Surely if you take a life the starting point should be spending the rest of your life in prison? That’s what we wanted as a family and what would have been respectful of my sister’s memory.”
Becky and Glenn Youens, whose four-year-old daughter Violet-Grace was killed by a driver in a stolen car driving 80mph in a 30mph zone, vowed to fight in her memory. Driver Aidan McAteer was jailed for nine years and four months following the 2017 tragedy in Merseyside – but was released after serving around half his sentence.
The grieving parents said: “Violet-Grace was in the right place at the right time – it was her killers who were in the wrong place. They took her life without giving her a second chance, yet criminals like these are nearly always given another opportunity after serving their so-called sentences.”
“Criminals who take the lives of innocent children or abuse them are not getting the sentences they deserve. This has to change.”
The group was introduced to each other by Tory MP Dr Kieran Mullan. He said: “For too long our sentencing system has not given enough consideration to what victims, their families and the wider public would consider to be justice.
“This leaves so many people feeling let down. There are plenty of groups speaking up for what’s best for the perpetrators and asking for more lenient sentences. Justice for Victims can now play a powerful role in balancing that out.”
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