Rapist cop Wayne Couzens 'had secret NHS back op possibly costing £17,000'
Cowardly rapist and murderer Wayne Couzens, who killed Sarah Everard in 2021, was reportedly whisked off for a pricey back operation on the taxpayer's dime
Grim killer cop Wayne Couzens was given an expensive operation on the taxpayers' dime, according to reports. The brutal murderer, 52, is said to have been taken away from the notorious HMP Frankland in County Durham to an NHS hospital for a lumbar procedure costing an estimated £17,000.
The operation on his back, also known as a 'spinal tap', can cost up tp £7,000 - with the process of getting Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, in and out of the prison possibly costing £10,000, according to The Sun. Couzens reportedly spent a number of days in a hospital before he was taken back to Frankland, around three miles away.
A source told The Sun that Couzens' operation was not an emergency and was carried out to make him 'comfortable', adding that people were "angry" at how the cold-blooded killer was treated and the cost. The source said Couzens is 'constantly moaning in jail', and that he complained about back pain.
It was the source that estimated that a security operation to get the killer from the jail to hospital would have cost the cited £10,000 sum. When approached by the Mirror, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it does not comment on individual prisoners.
The source also said Couzens was taken in a bullet proof 'Category A' van, which requires the supervision of four prison officers and a custody manager.
Former prison governor Vanessa Frake said such a security operation would have needed significant planning, with staff considering the risks to healthcare staff as well as other patients and the public.
Labour's North Durham MP Luke Akehurst said: 'I would be disgusted if it turns out that this vile rapist and murderer was able to jump the queue in front of decent law-abiding people to get his treatment. The cost of the security surrounding his time in hospital is an appalling waste of public money.'
Sarah Everard, 33, was kidnapped and murdered by off-duty police officer Couzens in 2021, who then burned her body.
Concerns over Couzens' treatment operation come as Sarah's family and others who suffered a loved one being murdered called on Sir Keir Starmer to create a new criminal offence against desecrating a body.
Sarah's family was joined by the family of Michael O'Leary, a 55-year-old father of three who was shot dead by his friend Andrew Jones in 2020, after Jones found out the victim was having an affair with his wife.
Jones then burned Mr O'Leary's body on a funeral pyre made of wood pallets, and tried to make it look like he killed himself.
Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies raised the issue in Prime Minister's Questions this month, asking Mr Starmer to meet with the families and hear their plea.
The MP for Caerfyrddin said: "My constituent Mr Michael O'Leary was brutally murdered five years ago and his body was desecrated. I've made a number of requests to discuss his and other victims' cases with ministers and to explore introducing legislation making the desecration of a body a criminal offence."
Responding, Mr Starmer: 'Can I thank her for raising this horrific case and the other similar cases and my thoughts, and I'm sure the thoughts of the whole House, are with Michael's family and all those affected by such vile crimes. I think we all need to listen to what they have to say…I'm sure the justice minister will be in touch at the first opportunity to take this forward
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Her death marked the start of Griffiths' sick killing spree - and for police, the nightmare was just beginning. Shelley Armitage was just 31, and described as bright, ambitious, and dreaming of modelling and a life beyond Bradford's streets. Friends say she "could have been a beautiful model" and had a bubbly personality. But a spiral of heroin and alcohol addiction drew her into sex work. On April 26, 2010, she was last seen on CCTV walking along Rebecca Street in Bradford's red light district . She disappeared after leaving her flat in Allerton with a friend and never returned home . Her boyfriend, Robert Preston, filed a missing persons report two days later. Again, several police appeals were launched with investigators pleading with the public for help to locate Shelley. Griffiths had lured Shelley to his flat under the pretence of sex, then tied her up in his bathtub while filming the ordeal on his phone, police later revealed. Mobile phones retrieved from his home showed images of Shelley's naked, dead body with the words: "My sex slave" written on her. Another video showed a nude body that had been bound. Griffith provided vile commentary describing himself as a "bloodbath artist". The murderer showed no remorse when detectives sat him down in the interview room. He was calm, collected and even smug as he detailed his horrific crimes. He confessed that Susan was killed with a hammer. He then dismembered her body with machine tools, he said. 16 Police divers in the River Aire made several gruesome discoveries Credit: Amazon Prime 16 Human remains belonging to Suzanne and Shelley were found in the water Credit: Amazon Prime Griffiths also claimed he cooked and ate part of her flesh. In one shocking moment, he described eating the flesh of his victims as "part of the magic". He admitted to killing Shelley with a crossbow and dismembering her in the bath. He informed detectives that they would find traces of her body on the cooker in his home. He recalled butchering Suzanne Blamires with a crossbow. After divulging the information, he stopped talking to the cops, letting them know that to become a serial killer, he only needed to kill three people. Investigators quickly started piecing together a sinister motive - Griffith was after notoriety and infamy. He wanted to surpass his idol, serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. In the documentary, his sister says: "He once told me as well that if he couldn't be famous, he would be infamous. And that if I was famous and was more famous than him, he would find me and kill me." Crossbow Cannibal 16 When asked his name in court, Griffiths chillingly said he was the 'Crossbow Cannibal' Credit: Amazon Prime 16 Griffiths was given a whole life order in December 2010 Credit: Amazon Prime When Griffiths first appeared in Bradford Crown Court on June 25, 2010, the room fell into stunned silence. He stood in the dock, unshaven, wearing a grey prison sweatshirt. When asked to confirm his name, he chillingly replied: "I am the Crossbow Cannibal." It was the first time the public heard the nickname, a vile moniker he had clearly chosen for himself, designed to terrify. Griffiths showed no remorse throughout the proceedings. The evidence against him was overwhelming, with CCTV footage and forensic evidence from his flat playing a crucial role. Cops also had the phone video he filmed of himself tormenting Shelley Armitage in the bath, and remains recovered from the River Aire. He once told me as well that if he couldn't be famous, he would be infamous. And that if I was famous and was more famous than him, he would find me and kill me Caroline Griffiths In addition, blood samples from all three women were retrieved from his apartment, which was called a slaughterhouse in the media. He was charged with three counts of murder and pleaded guilty to each one. At his trial, the court heard how he had targeted vulnerable women working in Bradford's red light district, luring them into his home before murdering and dismembering them. In December 2010, Mr Justice Openshaw, sentencing Griffiths to a whole life order, told him: "You are a very dangerous man and in my judgment you should never be released from prison." Griffiths showed no reaction. He stood still and silent, not even looking at the victims' families who sat weeping just metres away. He was sent to Wakefield Prison, among some of Britain's most notorious killers. In November last year, Griffiths was attacked in prison by one of Suzanne Blamires' friends who was also incarcerated. 'Worst fears' 16 Suzanne was from a good family, but turned to drugs and prostitution after falling on hard times Credit: 16 Shelley's family says she was on the verge of turning her life around before the murder Credit: Today, Griffiths' sister only has one question - why. She says: "I just want to ask him why, probably. Why did he do this, and who are you? I'd probably tell him that I loved him as well. People might be shocked to hear that, but he's my brother. My big brother." Christa Ackyord says the attention must always be brought back to Griffiths' victims and their families. She explains: "For their families, they were people that they loved. People that they tried to help. People that they were desperately worried about. And their worst fears came true. "And they ended up meeting a psychopath. A cold-hearted killer who wanted to be famous."
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire custody visitors check on people behind bars
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