Met officer sacked for accessing Sarah Everard case records

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 11 Nov, 18:59 · Archive

Metropolitan Police constable Clare Tett has been dismissed after accessing confidential records linked to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens without proper authority.

Metropolitan Police constable Clare Tett has been sacked after a misconduct panel found she accessed seven confidential records relating to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens out of 'pure curiosity'. Tett searched police systems on 10 March 2021, a day after Couzens was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Ms Everard. The records she accessed included documents relating to Couzens and his wife, as well as a crime report concerning Ms Everard's disappearance, all protected by data protection law.

The panel concluded that Tett was trying to discover the identity of the Metropolitan Police officer who had been arrested in connection with the high-profile case. At the time, Tett worked in the Met's South West Basic Command Unit Criminal Justice Team, which polices Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth. She was not involved in the investigation into Ms Everard's disappearance or Couzens' detention.

Tett maintained she had a legitimate policing purpose for accessing the information. She said she was checking the accuracy of police systems using a live case and had used the case to 'refresh' her licence to use the police system because it had been dormant. Her defence argued that her role required her to carry out searches on a range of police databases and that choosing such a high-profile case was an error of judgement.

However, the panel rejected her explanation. It found the 'most likely explanation' was that she was 'motivated by curiosity to find the identity of the officer' and that her actions were 'deliberate and intentional'. The panel found Tett breached professional standards relating to confidentiality, orders and instructions, and discreditable conduct, concluding her actions amounted to gross misconduct.

How it is being reported

• Met officer sacked after searching Sarah Everard records 'out of curiosity'A Met Police officer has been sacked after accessing records linked to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens out of “pure curiosity”.News Shopper · 11 Nov, 12:52
• Met officer sacked after searching Sarah Everard records 'out of curiosity'A Met Police officer has been sacked after accessing records linked to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens out of “pure curiosity”.Wandsworth Guardian · 11 Nov, 12:52
• Met officer sacked after searching Sarah Everard records 'out of curiosity'A Met Police officer has been sacked after accessing records linked to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens out of “pure curiosity”.This Is Local London · 11 Nov, 12:52
• Met officer sacked after searching Sarah Everard records 'out of curiosity'A Met Police officer has been sacked after accessing records linked to Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens out of “pure curiosity”.Croydon Guardian · 11 Nov, 12:52

In this story: Clare Tett · Sarah Everard · Wayne Couzens · Metropolitan Police

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