A Metropolitan Police officer accused of abducting and murdering Sarah Everard appeared to have a red wound on the top of his forehead as he appeared in court for the first time.

Serving PC Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested by his colleagues at his home in Deal, Kent, on Tuesday and charged on Friday evening in the death of Ms Everard.

Wearing a grey tracksuit, the married dad-of-two, who was taken to hospital twice this week for head injuries, spoke only to confirm his name and address as he appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning.

The officer, a member of Scotland Yard's elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, bowed his head and stared at the ground as charges were read out in court.

No pleas were entered during the 20-minute hearing and he was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday next week.

A court sketch shows Wayne Couzens sitting between two police officers in the dock

His charge sheet alleges he "unlawfully and by force took or carried away Sarah Everard against her will". He also faces a charge of murder.

The court appearance came 10 days after 33-year-old marketing executive Ms Everard went missing as she walked from a friend's flat in Clapham, south London, to her home in Brixton on the night of March 3.

Detectives believe Ms Everard, originally from York, was abducted moments after she was last seen by a doorbell camera at about 9.30pm.

Human remains found on Wednesday in a wooded area near Ashford, Kent, some 50 miles from Clapham, have been confirmed as hers.

Police said he was taken to hospital for a second time in 48 hours on Friday for treatment to another head injury sustained in custody, before he was discharged and returned to a police station.

Sarah Everard was a 33-year-old marketing executive who lived in Brixton (
Image:
Missing People)
Wayne Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard (
Image:
Kent Messenger/SWNS)

He was previously treated in hospital for a separate head wound on Thursday, also sustained in custody when he was alone in his cell.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave confirmed the charge in a statement outside Scotland Yard on Friday night.

He said: "I would like at this stage to pay tribute to Sarah's family for their fortitude and forbearance through what can only have been the most intensely difficult few days.

"Our thoughts remain with them as this matter progresses."

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Regarding the second head injury, a Met Police spokesman said Couzens was being "monitored by officers" when he sustained the wound.

A spokesman said: "The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment to a head injury sustained while in custody in a cell on Friday.

"He was being monitored by officers and received immediate first aid. He was discharged the same day and returned to custody."

The Met Police said Couzens joined the force two years ago in September 2018 when he worked for a response team covering the Bromley area, before moving to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February last year.

Couzens appeared to have a red wound on the top of his forehead (
Image:
Julia Quenzler / SWNS.COM)
Officers escort a police vehicle carrying Couzens to Westminster Magistrates' Court (
Image:
Ben Cawthra/LNP)

Couzens was arrested on Tuesday at his home in the coastal town of Deal, some 75 miles from Clapham.

At he time, Mr Ephgrave said the fact he is a serving police officer "is both shocking and deeply disturbing".

Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday afternoon that human remains found in an area of woodland in Ashford, Kent, two days earlier had been identified as Ms Everard.

Her death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the public, with many women and girls sharing stories online of experiencing violence by men.

A police officer uses a sniffer dog in the wooded area where human remains were found (
Image:
PA)
Police search the murder suspect's home in Deal, Kent, earlier this week (
Image:
PA)

Scotland Yard is facing an investigation by the police watchdog into its handling of separate allegations of indecent exposure against Couzens, whose primary role was on uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly embassies.

He was alleged to have twice exposed himself in one day to staff inside a McDonald’s restaurant in Swanley, Kent, three days before Sarah vanished.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is to probe whether two officers "responded appropriately" in their investigation.

A forensics team searched an area of land outside the back fence of the Couzens' house in Deal on Friday.

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People gather at the Clapham Common bandstand, where there is a memorial to Ms Everard (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)

A forensic tent was put up in the back garden of the home, where officers removed property including a Ducati motorbike.

Uniformed officers were posted at a derelict garage in Dover, which was run by his family for almost 50 years before it closed in 2015.

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Police said a woman in her 30s, who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting an offender, had been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April.

A vigil for Ms Everard was scheduled to take place at the Clapham Common bandstand at 6pm on Saturday, alongside events across the country, but it has been cancelled and organisers said details of a "virtual gathering" will be announced instead.

Messages of condolence and flowers left in memory of Ms Everard at the Clapham Common bandstand (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
A police officer places flowers left by members of the public near to where human remains were discovered (
Image:
PA)

Organisers of the event, titled Reclaim These Streets, are continuing talks with the police to work out how it could go ahead safely, while a planned event in Edinburgh will now take place virtually.

Organisers said the Met Police told them the event would be illegal under England's Covid lockdown rules, and they could face huge fines and criminal prosecution if the vigil went ahead.

In a tweet on Saturday morning the Reclaim These Streets group said: "We have been very disappointed that given the many opportunities to engage with organisers constructively, the Metropolitan Police have been unwilling to commit to anything.

"While we have had positive discussions with the Lambeth officers present, those from Scotland Yard would not engage with our suggestions to help ensure that a legal, Covid-secure vigil could take place."

On Friday, a High Court judge refused to intervene on behalf of the group in a legal challenge over the right to gather for a protest during coronavirus restrictions.

People had vowed to attend the London event, despite the Metropolitan Police warning the public they should "stay at home or find a lawful and safer way to express your views".