Fears that Met Police murderer and rapist Wayne Couzens could still get his pension

Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens could still receive his pension, it has been reported.

The former Metropolitan Police officer, found guilty of murdering the 33-year-old, could be in line for a £7,000-a-year police pension, the BBC said.

Couzens, 50, was handed a whole-life sentence in September 2021 for the kidnap, rape and murder of Ms Everard, 33, in March of that year.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has already successfully applied to have Couzens stripped of his Metropolitan Police pension.

Officers lose their pension if convicted of an offence that damages trust in the police.

Watch: Met Police 'truly sorry' for not arresting Wayne Couzens before Sarah Everard murder

However, Khan believes Couzens qualifies for pension payments from his previous job – he worked for seven years for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) from 2011 to 2018 before he joined the Met.

The CNC is a special force that guards nuclear facilities and is overseen by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

As a result, Khan has written to energy secretary Grant Shapps asking that the government intervenes to prevent Couzens from accessing his pension.

In his letter, Khan says the CNC portion of the pension "sits outside the normal police pension regulations".

In the letter, which the BBC has seen, Khan writes: "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."

Read more: Posters mock Metropolitan Police after damning Casey report

He said home secretary Suella Braverman has already issued a certificate of forfeiture for Couzens' Metropolitan Police pension.

A spokesperson for the London mayor told the BBC: "It would 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."

Shapps agreed that Couzens should not receive any money, according to the BBC, saying his "horrendous crime shocked the nation".

Shapps said he supported a CNC recommendation that Couzens be stripped of his pension and is seeking an urgent update from the pensions administrator.

Last month, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months for a series of flashing incidents, the last of which took place just days before he kidnapped Ms Everard.

Couzens was supposed to be on duty and working from home when he exposed himself to a female cyclist in a country lane in Kent in November 2020.

He went on to expose himself to female attendants at a McDonald’s drive-through in Swanley, Kent, twice in February 2021 – the last incident days before he kidnapped Ms Everard in south London.

A review published by Baroness Louise Casey last month found that the Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, and concluded there may be more officers like Couzens within its ranks.

Watch: Casey report says Met Police may have more officers like Wayne Couzens