The Police Federation has said that “Predator” Wayne Couzens is “an absolute disgrace to the police service” after his sentencing.

Couzens, responsible for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard has been sentenced to whole life order in prison for the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

The sentence means he will never be freed from jail for his "warped, selfish and brutal offending, which was both sexual and homicidal".

Sentencing Couzens for the murder of Ms Everard, Lord Justice Fulford said the circumstances of the case are “devastating, tragic and wholly brutal”.

Judge on the “grotesque” murder of Sarah Everard before sentencing

The judge said Ms Everard was “a wholly blameless victim” of a “grotesque” series of offences which culminated in her death and disposal of her body.

The evidence gathered against Couzens was “unanswerable” and there was “no credible innocent explanation” for it, he said.

He went on to add Couzens' crimes were "warped, selfish and brutal offending, which was both sexual and homicidal".

Couzens went “hunting a lone female to kidnap and rape” having planned in “unspeakably” grim detail, the judge said.

The defendant’s preparations included taking some of his police kit with him and lying to his family about working on the night of the murder, the Old Bailey heard.

The judge paid tribute to the dignity of Ms Everard’s family, whose statements in court revealed the human impact of the crime.

The judge described how Ms Everard was simply walking home. She was an intelligent, talented and much-loved young woman still in the early years of her life. Her ordeal was "as bleak and agonising as it is possible to imagine".

Police federation issue statement on Wayne Couzens

John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “This predator is an absolute disgrace to the police service, and I am totally ashamed that he was ever a police officer.

“I am proud to carry a warrant card, but this vile individual’s abuse of that authority has cast a shadow on all those who work within policing. He has brought disgrace to our uniform.

“The way he took advantage of Sarah’s trust makes me feel sick to the stomach.

“No sentence will ever ease the pain for the family and friends of Sarah or undo the terrible damage this disgusting man has done. He doesn’t deserve to have another single day of freedom and I hope every day he spends in prison is a long one.”