LONDON, England — The suspected abduction and murder of a young London woman as she walked home has dismayed Britain and revived a painful question: Why are women too often not safe on the streets?
Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, disappeared as she walked home from a friend’s house in London on March 3.
Police confirmed Friday her body was found in a woodland 50 miles southeast of the city.
A Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, was charged late Friday with kidnapping and murder.
Details into the specifics of what happened are still under investigation.
Everard’s disappearance and death has caused a flood of emotion throughout the U.K. and the world, with women sharing experiences of being threatened or attacked — or simply facing the everyday fear of violence when walking alone.
Hundreds defied coronavirus restrictions Saturday to remember the slain woman and protest violence against women, but the vigil ended with clashes between police and those attending.
Demonstrators said they wanted to draw attention to the fear many women see as a daily part of British life.
London's police department is now facing backlash for the way officers handled participants at the vigil.
Video of Saturday’s vigil turned rally showed several male officers grabbing hold of several women and pulling them away in handcuffs as onlookers screamed and shouted.
The head of London’s Metropolitan Police force has defended her officers’ actions and says she doesn't intend to resign. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has come under heavy criticism for the way her department treated the protesters.
The man accused of killing Everard, Wayne Couzens, worked in Commissioner Dick's department.
The following video is a BBC report on the reaction Everard's death has sparked.