London, UK - The police officer who abducted and killed Sarah Everard, a young British woman whose murder brought debate about women's safety to the forefront in March, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday. At the hearing, chilling new details emerged about the fateful night and his abuse of power.

It has come to light that police officer Wayne Couzens faked a false arrest of Everard on March 3.

He claimed the 33-year-old had breached Covid-19 lockdown rules, prosecutor Tom Little told London's Old Bailey criminal court on Wednesday, saying the officer had used his badge and handcuffs to apprehend her.

The 48-year-old admitted to abducting the young woman before raping her, strangling her with his police belt, and burning her body.

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In his plea, the prosecutor said the fact that Everard had been on her way back from dinner at a friend's house during the relatively strict Coronavirus lockdown period increased the likelihood that she believed she had admitted a restrictions offense.

In March, visiting each other's homes was still officially illegal in the UK.

The case incited anger and horror across the world and triggered fierce debate about violence against women across social media.

Judge Adrian Fulford announced a sentence of life in prison for Couzens on Thursday.