04 March 2024 , 22:34
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The detective who arrested Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard said "he just went grey" when he showed the killer cop his warrant card.
Nick Harvey spoke for the first time about how he implored the PC to admit where he had taken Sarah, warning that "at some point you're going to end up looking her family in the eyes". Mr Harvey said he had to remain calm when Couzens lied to him, saying that he had kidnapped the 33-year-old but handed her over to an eastern European gang.
Moments before he made the arrest, his boss had called him to reveal that Couzens was an officer with the Met's diplomatic protection group. He said: "It's just one of those moments that the bottom falls out of your stomach. It's just a shocking thing to hear.
Detective Inspector Nick Harvey (PA)"I take a lot of pride in being a detective. I absolutely loved it. It's a big part of my identity ... Part of your own trust has been shaken, my wife would have got in that car, no doubt in my mind." Describing the moment he knocked on Couzens' door he said: “Just… all the colour just ran out of his face,” he said.
Mr Harvey was speaking ahead of a new BBC documentary, Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice, which will air on Tuesday evening on BBC One. The film includes new interview footage including Couzens saying he is "in a dark place" after self harming in custody, and giving a "no comment" interview.
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Sarah Everard (PA)He is told by a female detective: "People trust us to look after them. People trust us to help them. Protect and serve, that's what they say, isn't it? That's what we're here to do. We all took that oath you included." Mr Harvey, who has since left the force, is shown trying to reason with Couzens after his arrest.
He told the killer, now 51, that he would one day face her family across the courtroom and "you've got an opportunity, here right now, to help us find Sarah and bring her back home to her family". Couzens replied: "Hand on heart, I don't know where she is." He finally admitted abusing his police powers to carry out the attack months later at the Old Bailey where he was jailed for a full life term. Sarah, a marketing executive, was snatched by Couzens while she was walking home in Clapham, south London, on 3 March 2021 sparking a desperate search.