The York family of Sarah Everard have paid tribute to her on the first anniversary of her murder by a police officer, saying she was “wonderful and we miss her all the time”.
In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, they said they have been “overwhelmed” by the public’s support.
Her father Jeremy, a lecturer at the University of York, and mother Susan, still live in York. A pupil at Fulford School, Sarah studied geography at Durham University before moving to London – where her brother James and sister Katie also live.
Her family said:
It is a year since Sarah died and we remember her today, as every day, with all our love.
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.
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, 33, was raped and killed by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens as she walked home in south London on March 3 last year.
He was handed a whole-life term in September.
A non-statutory inquiry has since been launched – led by Dame Elish Angiolini – who is looking at how Couzens was able to work as a police officer for three different forces despite concerns about his behaviour.
Following this, there are plans for a second part that would look at wider issues in policing.
The Met has also commissioned its own review of the culture and standards at the force, including Couzens’ former unit – the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
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