Violence and abuse against women by police is “not a new phenomenon” and has received closer scrutiny following Sarah Everard’s murder because she was white and middle-class, the former president of the Supreme Court has said.
Baroness Hale of Richmond described the murder of Everard – who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens – as an “awful, awful case” but said many “equally horrible” cases had been overlooked.
Lady Hale, the court’s first female president, previously practised as a barrister in the north of England, where she said it was common to encounter stories of the police’s abuse of power during that time.
Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, she said: “If you practised law in the 1970s in the north of England, you would inevitably have encountered story after story of police officers abusing their position with women.
“It is not a new phenomenon.
“What is new in recent weeks is the prominence given to a really, really horrible story and perhaps exacerbated by the fact that it was a young, beautiful, middle class white woman, whereas all those women who’ve had equally horrible experiences haven’t had the prominence.
“But it’s good if it’s getting prominence, that’s very important and I don’t mind why it’s getting prominence, as long as it is.”
Asked whether Dame Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, should resign, Lady Hale said it would not be “appropriate” for her to comment.
Dame Cressida Dick has faced calls to resign following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer.
(Getty Images)
The Met commissioner has faced multiple calls to step down from her position, amid urgent demands for action to restore women’s confidence in policing following the murder of Everard.
Everard was subjected to a fake arrest by serving Couzens, who then kidnapped, raped and murdered the 33-year-old in March.
Concerns have been raised as to why Couzens was still able to serve as an officer, following a number of missed warning signs prior to murdering Everard.
Couzens was reportedly nicknamed “The Rapist” by Met colleagues for making women feel uncomfortable, and faced indecent exposure claims in June 2015 and in February 2021, days before killing Everard.
Lady Hale became the first female president of the Supreme Court in 2017, and retired last year.
