London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens should be stripped of his pension from his Civil Nuclear Constabulary job before he joined the Met Police.
After it was reported that murderer and rapist Wayne Couzens would still receive his Met Police pension, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan successfully applied to the Home Office to deny him of it.
However, Couzens could still get the pension he accumulated at his previous job at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), the police force that protects the UK’s nuclear facilities, between 2011 and 2018.
Mr Khan has written to Energy Secretary Grand Shapps to get reassurance that Sarah Everard‘s murderer will forfeit his seven years’ of the deferred pension, according to Sky News, as ‘the public would rightly expect’.
Simon Chesterman, the chief constable of the CNC where Couzens worked for seven and a half years, has backed Mr Khan’s demand.
After it was reported that murderer and rapist Wayne Couzens (pictured) would still receive his Met Police pension, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan successfully applied to the Home Office to deny him of it
Mr Khan (pictured) has written to Energy Secretary Grand Shapps to get reassurance that Sarah Everard ‘s murderer will forfeit his seven years’ of the deferred pension, according to Sky News , as ‘the public would rightly expect’
Couzens, who was handed a whole-life order for the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard (pictured), 33, in March 2021, could even potentially start drawing his pension at a lower rate from the age of 55
Couzens’ time working for the CNC entitles him to a pension worth around £4,000 per year from the age of 60, plus a lump sum as high as £12,000.
A spokesperson for Mr Khan told Sky News: ‘It will be totally unacceptable if Couzens remains entitled to a single penny of his pension – it would be very difficult for his victims and the wider public to comprehend.’
They added that the rules would need to be tightened to ensure that anyone who commits crimes like Couzens would have their publicy-funded pension removed ‘swiftly and in full’.
Couzens, who was handed a whole-life order for the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, 33, in March 2021, could even potentially start drawing his pension at a lower rate from the age of 55.
Current laws state that police officers forfeit their pension of they are found guilty of a crime linked to their work as an officer and their crime will ‘lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service’, The Sunday Times reports.
This requires a ‘certificate of forfeiture’ from the Home Secretary for Met Police officers, as well as most other forces. Mr Khan, who is also police and crime commissioner for London, applied for the certificate last year after Couzens’ sentencing – but he had not worked at the Met for long enough to be on their pension scheme.
Therefore, his pension pot was still with the CNC, where he started working in 2011. However, unlike most other forces, their pensions are controlled by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), not the Home Office.
the Mayor of London has had to write to Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps, as he is responsible for the UKAEA to get Couzens’ pension forfeited
Because of this, the Mayor of London has had to write to Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps, as he is responsible for the UKAEA.
The, which was also sent to Home Secretary Suella Braverman Khan reportedly says: ‘I am sure that you shared my horror at the disturbing facts of the heinous crime committed by a serving police officer.
‘While I understand the pension forfeiture arrangements are not straightforward, I seek your assurance that you will take all possible steps to ensure that Couzens is stripped of his pension. This is what the public would rightly expect.’
Mr Shapps has said he fully supports the recommendation of the CNC that Couzens be ‘stripped of his pension so he does not benefit from his years serving’ adding that he is ‘seeking an urgent update on the matter from the pension administrator’.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, is expected to provide an update regarding a review into the more than 1,000 police officers who have been accused of sexual assault or domestic abuse.
