The report – the first produced by the inquiry – also highlights how Couzens’ liking for violent and extreme pornography and his history of alleged sexual offending date back nearly 20 years before the murder of Sarah Everard.
The former Met Police officer admitted three counts of indecent exposure, relating to three incidents in Kent – two offences at a fast-food restaurant in February 2021, and another at woodland in Deal in 2020, all in the presence of women.
“It has become clear that Couzens’ terrible crimes were not committed in isolation but were the culmination of a trajectory of sexually-motivated behaviour and offending,” the report says.
Victims of his indecent exposures who reported his offending were not taken sufficiently seriously by the police, it adds.
“The police officers who responded to those victims were not adequately trained, equipped or motivated to investigate the allegations properly.”
The report also calls for “a fundamental change” to the police response to indecent exposure.