Former Metropolitan Police constable Michael Needham faced a misconduct panel over his behaviour
A former Metropolitan Police constable told a female colleague “I hope you get Wayne Couzened”, a misconduct panel heard. Michael Needham, who at the time was part of the North West command unit, also allegedly told the colleague, named only as Pc X, that he would “rape” and “annihilate” her, the police misconduct hearing was told.
The panel heard that Mr Needham made the alleged remarks while off-duty at a pub in London in early 2025. He allegedly told Pc X: “I’ll rape you, I’ll pin you down and annihilate you. You know I’m stronger than you, don’t you? You do know that, don’t you?”
The female officer told the panel she “froze” and turned her back on Mr Needham. Later that evening, Mr Needham allegedly told Pc X “I hope you get Wayne Couzened on the way home”, which she believed was a reference to the murder of Sarah Everard.
Miss Everard, 33, was raped and killed by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in Clapham, South London, on March 3 2021. Couzens, who was given a whole-life jail term at the end of his Old Bailey trial in September 2021, misled Miss Everard into thinking she could be arrested for breaking Covid lockdown rules as she walked home from a friend’s house.
Mr Needham “consistently denied that he said the words alleged, or anything like them that could have been misheard or misinterpreted”, the panel wrote in its finding.
The comments were not heard by other colleagues who were there, it was said. However, the panel found on the “balance of probabilities” that both incidents took place as Pc X alleged.
The panel wrote: “Former Pc Needham has behaved in a manner while off duty that is liable to bring discredit on the police service or undermine public confidence in policing. We consider that a victim reporting a sexual assault, or involved in a relationship where they were subject to coercive and controlling behaviour, would have little confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service if they knew of this conduct.”
It added: “Further, his language towards Pc X was abusive, oppressive, harassing, bullying and offensive. We consider that a fully informed member of the public would have considered former Pc Needham’s behaviour to have been egregious. Wayne Couzens, as a police officer who abused his position to commit the most serious offences of rape and murder, has become a byword for what can happen if serving officers can or are perceived to behave with impunity.”
The panel ruled that Mr Needham would have been dismissed if he was still serving and that he will be added to the College of Policing barred list. He was criminally investigated over the remarks but no further action was taken, the panel wrote.
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