Sarah Everard: Family say their 'lives have changed forever'

The family of Sarah Everard have said their "lives have changed forever", one year after her murder.

Ms Everard, 33, was kidnapped in south London on 3 March 2021 as she was walking home from a friend's house. Her body was found a week later.

Met Police officer Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to a whole-life term.

The marketing executive's family said they "remember her today, as every day, with all our love".

Ms Everard was kidnapped and raped by PC Wayne Couzens after he falsely arrested her in Clapham, south London

Firearms officer Couzens abducted Ms Everard in Clapham, under the guise of an arrest for breaching coronavirus guidelines and drove her away in a car he had hired.

Her body was found in woodland near Ashford, Kent, metres from land owned by Couzens. She had been raped and strangled.

The case sparked national outrage and calls for more action to tackle violence against women.

'Overwhelmed'

In a statement, her family said: "Our lives have changed forever and we live with the sadness of our loss.

"Sarah was wonderful and we miss her all the time.

"Over the past year we have been overwhelmed with the kindness shown to us, not just by family and friends, but by the wider public.

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"We are immensely grateful to everyone for their support; it has meant such a lot to us and has comforted us through this terrible time.

"Sadly, Sarah is not the only woman to have lost her life recently in violent circumstances and we would like to extend our deepest sympathy to other families who are also grieving."

Ms Everard's murder sparked national outrage and calls for more action to tackle violence against women

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has also paid tribute to Ms Everard. He said his thoughts were with her family, friends and all those who knew her.

"Today we remember the young woman that Sarah was, and the life that she lived," he said.

"She was a vibrant, talented, intelligent young woman, who was loved deeply by her family and friends."

He added that her murder had "left the nation in shock, and sparked a national outcry about the way our society treats women and girls".

"I am clear, we cannot simply respond to male violence against women and girls - we must prevent it," he said.