Police investigating the murder of Sarah Everard have begun a second day searching in Sandwich, Kent, for her missing mobile phone – this time in the network of drains below the town.
Forensic officers and police divers first arrived in the tourist spot yesterday and took away a gold necklace for evaluation as they scoured the nearby Delf Stream.
Today they switched their attention to rubbish bins and drains, where they lifted grates to use sticks to try and clear debris for examination.
They were also seen carefully checking below a step near public toilets in the car park where they have been based for the past 48 hours.
Above them was a sign for CCTV cameras around the site, the footage on which may yield more clues as the town’s Ropewalk area remained taped off.
There is currently rain pouring down there, which may slow down some of the searches.
Police this morning switched attention to the network of drains underneath Sandwich, Kent, in the second day of searches
Officers were seen with rakes and sticks as they painstakingly went through sludge and debris in the drainage system
Sarah Everard, 33, went missing on March 3 as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London
The hunt for evidence in Sandwich, Kent, has entered a second day with drains now being searched in the town
Sandwich is some 35 miles away from where Sarah’s remains were found on Wednesday in woodland in Ashford, Kent.
Ms Everard went missing on March 3 as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London.
Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with Ms Everard’s murder and kidnap after she disappeared as she walked home to Brixton from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on March 3.
The 48-year-old, from Deal, appeared in court to confirm his name and address during a short hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard Miss Everard’s body was found inside a builder’s bag in Kent and identified through the use of dental records.
Appearing in court wearing a grey tracksuit and bearing a red mark on his head, Couzens stood as the charges were put to him before being remanded in custody before his case is up at the Old Bailey this morning.
Undergrowth was also being carefully combed through by officers as they looked for anything that could be significant
Police divers were again in the Delf Stream in Sandwich looking for any evidence for their murder investigation
Officers also searched under a step to the toilets, where a CCTV camera sign could be clearly seen on the wall
Met Diplomatic Protection Officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the murder and kidnap of Sarah Everard, 33
Artist’s drawing of Wayne Couzens appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday for his first appearance in court
The Met Police revealed that Couzens joined the force two years ago in September 2018 when he worked for a response team covering the Bromley area.
He then moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February last year.
The searches have come as Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick remains at the centre of a political storm after a vigil held to remember Sarah on Clapham Common on Saturday night saw scenes of police restraining and arresting women.
Boris Johnson yesterday threw his support behind her when he was asked if he still had full confidence in her.
He said: Yes, I do. The police do have a very, very difficult job. But there’s no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing and so it is right that Tom Winsor, the inspector of constabulary, should do a full report into it.’
Forensic teams also seemed very interested in a recycling bin, which they opened up and emptied looking for leads yesterday
Divers yesterday scoured water in Sandwich, Kent, for clues that could help in their probe, with Sarah’s phone still missing
Police divers in scuba suits prepared to enter the Delf Stream to continue the search yesterday as the investigation continued
Home Secretary Priti Patel described footage of the vigil as ‘distressing’ but she added: ‘I continue to urge everyone, for as long as these regulations are in place, not to participate in large gatherings or attend protests.
‘The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy but the government’s duty is to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic.’
A snap poll showed the public was divided on whether the vigil should have gone ahead.
The YouGov survey showed 40 per cent of Britons argue the event should have been permitted, while 43 per cent said it should not have continued.
There was also a slight gender divide, with 42 per cent of women backing the vigil, compared to just 38 per cent of men.