Sarah Everard: What is Highway Code? Cop's sick meme at crime scene was disgusting joke to 'stop single girl'
A Met probationary officer is said to have sent a sickening meme, joking about Sarah Everard's murder, to seven colleagues while manning a cordon in the woods near Ashford, Kent, where the 33-year-old’s body was found.
The meme, which was obtained by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, March 16, is a parody of the Highway Code. It denotes a policeman's guide of the six stages from abduction to murder. It allegedly shows an officer directing traffic and holding a hand up which reads: “Stop single girl”.
He then gives signals for different twisted actions, which ends in the murder and disposal of her body, the Mail reports. This comes at a time when Everard’s family is already reeling from the arrest of officer Wayne Couzens on suspicion of the kidnap and murder of Everard, who disappeared from the Clapham neighborhood of London on March 3.
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Revealed: Vile message 'cop sent to officers' from Sarah Everard crime scene is sick parody of the Highway Code https://t.co/Apfqn3wQFE
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) March 17, 2021
What is the Highway Code?
The Highway Code is a set of information, advice, guides and mandatory rules for road users in the United Kingdom, which exists to promote road safety. The Code applies to all road users ranging from pedestrians and horse riders to cyclists and drivers.
It contains information on road signs, road markings, vehicle markings and road safety and has annexes on vehicle maintenance, license requirements, documentation, penalties and vehicle security. Many of the rules in it are legal requirements, and if one disobeys them they are committing a criminal offense.
The Highway Code first appeared in 1931. It has since been updated as vehicles, driving practices and laws have changed over time. It is prepared by the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and is published by The Stationery Office in both print and electronic forms.
The Code covers England, Scotland, Wales and even has a separate edition for Northern Ireland. The book is broken down into specific sections for different road users and instances, and can also be accessed on the Gov.uk website. Here are some of the rules:
• Rules for pedestrians: Including general guidance, crossing the road, crossings, and situations needing extra care.
• Signals by authorized persons: Including police officers, arm signals to persons controlling traffic, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency officers and traffic officers and school crossing patrols.
• General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders: Signals, stopping procedures, lighting, control of the vehicle, speed limits, stopping distances, lines and lane markings and multi-lane carriageways, smoking, mobile phones and sat nav.
• Using the road: Including general rules, overtaking, road junctions, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and reversing.
A sick joke
The meme, a pastiche of the Highway Code was sent last Thursday, March 11, a day after Everard’s body was found. The young marketing executive had left a friend’s home in the Clapham neighborhood of London at 9 pm on March 3 to make her way back to her apartment in nearby Brixton, about a mile and a half away.
The walk should have taken her 50 minutes, and she chose well-lit streets and spoke with her boyfriend on the phone. But even after doing many of the things that women are advised to do for their safety, she didn't make it home. Her remains were found in a builder's bag in woods on a disused golf course at Great Chart, near Ashford, Kent, on March 10.
On receiving the meme, sickened colleagues reported it to bosses, and the probationer, who has not been identified, was immediately moved off the inquiry. He has been placed on restricted duties with no direct involvement with the public.
The government website deems the Code as "essential" reading. "The most vulnerable road users are pedestrians, particularly children, older or disabled people, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders. It is important that all road users are aware of the Code and are considerate towards each other. This applies to pedestrians as much as to drivers and riders," it states.
"Knowing and applying the rules contained in The Highway Code could significantly reduce road casualties. Cutting the number of deaths and injuries that occur on our roads every day is a responsibility we all share," it adds.
