1 year ago
25
Image source, PA Media
Samantha Lee denies breaching Met Police standards successful her probe of Wayne Couzens
By Jess Warren & PA Media
BBC News
A erstwhile Met Police serviceman accused of failing to decently analyse Wayne Couzens has said thing she did could person "changed the tragic outcome".
Couzens killed Sarah Everard successful south-west London soon aft exposing himself to unit astatine a subdivision of McDonald's.
Samantha Lee is accused of failing to marque "the close investigative inquiries" into 2 flashing incidents.
She admitted to a disciplinary proceeding making immoderate errors successful the probe but denies gross misconduct.
The proceeding has been told however Ms Lee - who is nary longer a constabulary serviceman but was a PC astatine the clip - attended the fast-food edifice successful Swanley to interrogation the manager connected 3 March, hours earlier Ms Everard was kidnapped successful Clapham and murdered by Couzens.
Ms Lee primitively claimed aft this interrogation that she believed determination was nary CCTV footage of the 2 flashing incidents involving Couzens, arsenic the restaurant's footage had been deleted automatically. It is alleged that this was a lie.
Image source, Met Police
Image caption,Wayne Couzens was already serving beingness for murdering Sarah Everard erstwhile helium was sentenced for indecent vulnerability earlier this year
On Thursday, Ms Lee said: "I judge present that determination was CCTV and that I should person asked much questions astir it."
However, she told the tribunal determination was thing she could person done that would person stopped Couzens from kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard.
"I judge that I could person done much astir CCTV and evidence-gathering; that was errors connected my portion and I judge that," she said.
"And arsenic overmuch arsenic I person thought it implicit and over, I don't judge that thing I could person done would person changed the tragic result of what happened aboriginal that day."
Image source, Met Police
Image caption,CCTV footage showed Couzens' car astatine the McDonald's drive-through
Ms Lee is accused of breaching the Met Police's standards regarding duties and responsibilities arsenic good arsenic honesty and integrity.
If she is recovered to person committed gross misconduct, she could beryllium banned from serving successful the unit again.
In March, Couzens was sentenced to 19 months aft admitting indecent exposure. He was already serving a whole-life situation sentence for kidnap and murder.
The misconduct proceeding continues.
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