Wayne Couzens appeals against whole-life sentence following conviction for abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard

However, Wayne Couzens’ own barrister said while it was accepted he deserved “decades in jail”, he argued that a whole-life term was excessive for the crime which saw the then serving Metropolitan Police officer abduct the 33-year-old in south London in March last year.

Yesterday, senior judges at the Court of Appeal heard challenges to the prison sentences of five killers, including Couzens who appeared via video link from HMP Frankland.

Jim Sturman QC, said: “Mr Couzens accepts his crimes are abhorrent and nothing I say in any way is intended to minimise them or to minimise the impact of these crimes on Sarah Everard’s family and circle of friends.”

“The combination of his remorse and his guilty pleas... should balance out that aggravating factor which clearly exists, of him being a police officer, albeit off-duty in half uniform.”

The barrister told the court Couzens was unique out of the 64 people currently serving whole life orders.

Tom Little QC, representing the Crown Prosecution Service, said Couzens’ offending was of the “utmost seriousness”, adding: “His criminality was, as found by the judge, a fundamental attack in reality on our democratic way of life.”

“A police officer is in a uniquely powerful position,” Mr Little said.

“The judge was entitled to form the view that he did in relation to a lack of genuine contrition.”

Also having sentences reviewed were Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes, who killed six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes in June 2020; double killer Ian Stewart who was convicted of murdering his first wife six years before he went on to murder his fiancee and Jordan Monaghan, who murdered two of his children and his new partner.

The hearing before the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and four other judges concluded last night with a decision due at a later date. He said: “We propose to take time to consider our decisions in these difficult and tragic cases.”