Government ‘determined’ to stop Sarah Everard murderer Wayne Couzens from receiving police pension
Wayne Couzens abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021 and was given a whole-life order later that year
The Government has said it is "absolutely determined" to prevent convicted murderer Wayne Couzens from receiving a pension from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), the special police force he worked for.
Efforts to forfeit the pension continue more than four years after his conviction.
Couzens, a former armed Metropolitan Police officer, abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, 33, in March 2021, using his police-issue handcuffs and warrant card to stage a fake arrest.
He received a whole-life order in September 2021. He had joined the Met from the CNC in 2018, where he had worked for about seven years.
Though prisoners cannot claim state pension, there is no automatic ban on other pensions.
A complex legal process to forfeit the CNC pension is ongoing, and ministers will introduce new legislation if necessary to ensure Couzens does not receive it.
In 2023, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan successfully applied to revoke any pension payments Couzens might have earned while serving at the Metropolitan Police.
However, unlike most police forces which fall under the Home Secretary, the CNC is part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
While the CNC cannot forfeit pensions itself, the force previously recommended to the UK Atomic Energy Authority, its pension authority, that any entitlements arising from Couzens’ time at the CNC should be forfeited.
The pension is thought to be worth around £7,000 per year. Data obtained via a freedom of information request showed no pension forfeitures from the CNC between 2020 and September 2025.
A Government spokesperson said: "We are absolutely determined that Wayne Couzens does not receive a Civil Nuclear Constabulary pension, and are actively working on it."
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