Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens' wife Elena 'really scared' for him as trolls threaten family after arrest
Social media trolls and cyberbullying have allegedly left Wayne Couzens' wife Elena 'really scared' after the police officer was arrested on the suspected abduction and murder of Sarah Everard.
Elena's mother Nina Sukhoreba slammed social media users after they left horrific messages on her daughter and son-in-law's Facebook accounts following Wayne's arrest in the wake of Everard's disappearance earlier this month. Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing on the night of March 3 while returning alone from a friend's place. A body was recently discovered in a big bag and authorities confirmed it was Everard after matching dental records.
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Police officer Wayne, 48, was arrested on suspicion after he was working a shift on the night of Everard's disappearance in the same area where her phone signal was last tracked. His mother-in-law, Nina, however, has been blasting social media trolls targeting him and his family, as she asked the Sunday Mirror: "Have they never heard of presumption of innocence?” She told the outlet from her Kirovograd, Ukraine, home: "I am very surprised how the Western people have behaved. How can they write such horror about my family?”
Elena reportedly married Couzens in 2006 after meeting in Switzerland, where she was working. She was arrested on the suspicion of assisting the kidnapping of Everard and has since been released on bail. But she is living in fear of trolls, one of which commented on a family photo in a since taken-down Facebook account. One of the comments said: "I hope they take your kids away. You don’t deserve to be parents. SCUM!”. Another dubbed the Couzens: "Evil parents”. A third comment seethed: “The whole world hates you both! You belong together in hot hell.” A friend of Elena's mother also said "Elena is really scared. She can’t believe what is happening. Her mum has never called Wayne her son-in-law, always son, and their relationship is more like mum and son.”
On March 13, Wayne appeared before magistrates after the victim was discovered in the woods in Ashford, Kent over 50 miles from where she was last seen on March 3, at 9.30 pm. Couzens' appearance saw him flanked by two officers, his head bowed, and a red wound visible on his forehead after he had reportedly sustained injuries in custody.
At Westminster Magistrates' Court, prosecutor Zoe Martin revealed video footage was captured through a police dashcam during the investigation into Sarah's mysterious disappearance. She added: “At about 4.45pm on March 10 a body was discovered. The body was in a large builder’s bag. Dental records confirmed the body was that of Sarah Everard. A post-mortem has taken place.” The autopsy results weren't given in court, neither has Everard's mobile been recovered.
On the night of her disappearance on March 3, Everard had left her friend's home in Clapham Junction, South London, at 9 pm, to make a 2.5-mile walk home to Brixton, the court heard. During the journey, she had a 14-minute phone call with her boyfriend, Josh Lowth and that was the last activity recorded on the handset. Martin said: “It’s not been possible to establish if the phone has been switched off or if it ran out of battery. Her phone has not, as yet, been recovered.”
Everard was seen alone on CCTV footage at 9.15 pm, again at 9.28 pm. She was later also filmed on the camera of a marked police car at 9.32 pm with bus cameras filming her images at 9.35 pm and 9.38 pm. Her boyfriend reported her missing the following day, and a huge search was launched to find Everard. Following the discovery of the body identified as Everard's, a women's vigil called 'Reclaim the Streets' was also planned, but ultimately was canceled after police intervention.