UK police officer charged with murder of 33-year-old woman

London - The police had confirmed that a body found in a wood outside London was that of the missing woman.

British police have charged an officer with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, whose disappearance last week has sparked anger and fears among women about their safety.

Constable Wayne Couzens, 48, who guarded diplomatic buildings, will appear in court on Saturday. Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3.

The Metropolitan police had confirmed that a body found in a wood outside London was that of the missing woman.

Her case has led to an outpouring of personal accounts by women of their own experiences and fears of walking streets alone at night, and a campaign for action to address this.

“The investigation continues of course,” Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave told reporters. “I would like to use this opportunity to encourage anyone that thinks they might have useful information to give, to get in contact with us.”

He had said earlier in the day that he understood the hurt and anger sparked by the case. “Those are sentiments that I share personally,” Ephgrave said. “I also recognise the wider concerns that are being raised quite rightly about the safety of women in public spaces in London and also elsewhere in the country.”