Met loses case over officer accessing Everard files

The Metropolitan Police has lost a High Court challenge over an officer who accessed confidential files linked to the murder of Sarah Everard without "a proper policing purpose".

Det Con Tyrone Ward looked at the files despite not being part of the investigation. He was later cleared of misconduct by a panel in November 2024.

The Met challenged that decision at the High Court, arguing the panel had not properly explained its reasoning.

Rejecting the claim, Judge Justice Murray said: "The claimant has failed to demonstrate that there was any public law error in the panel's reasoning in the decision, either by way of a failure to engage with the evidence or a failure to give adequate reasons."

In a 26-page judgement, the High Court said Ward was one of seven officers who accessed the files "without appearing to have a proper policing purpose for doing so".

The panel also cleared two other officers of misconduct related to accessing the files but found that a further three had committed misconduct.

Ward denied any improper use of the system. He said he needed to check the records of those held in certain custody suites to determine whether they needed to be investigated by his team.

The panel found he had a legitimate reason to access the files and described him as a "productive and conscientious officer".

Lawyers for the Met asked the High Court to quash the panel's decision or refer the case to a different disciplinary panel.

Murray said that while Ward did not have a "duty" to check the custody records of Couzens and other prisoners, this "does not mean he was not permitted proactively to monitor" them.

Sarah Everard, 33, was abducted, raped and murdered by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in south London on 3 March 2021.

He falsely claimed she had breached Covid lockdown rules and used this to detain her as she walked home from a friend's house in Clapham.

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