London police officer pleads guilty to rape and kidnap of Sarah Everard

London — A police officer has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friend's house in London earlier this year.

Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared in court on Tuesday by video-link to plead guilty to kidnapping and rape charges. He is also accused of murdering Everard, but has not yet entered a plea for that charge. Everard's disappearance in early March triggered widespread protests against gender-based violence and heavy-handed policing. Her body was discovered in woodlands outside of the city a week after she went missing.