Wayne Couzens is “barely touching his food” on suicide watch in prison after admitting the murder of Sarah Everard.

The former armed police officer, 48, is being watched by guards 24 hours a day in Belmarsh, one of Britain’s highest security prisons.

Couzens, from Deal, previously pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder, rape and kidnap of Miss Everard.

“After pleading guilty, Couzens basically didn’t touch any food for days.

“He’s still not eating properly, barely anything at all.

“It’s clear the enormity of his crimes have finally begun to register.

“But he’s being watched like a hawk in case he tries to take the easy way out,” a source told The Sun newspaper.

Couzens, formerly of Freemens Way, kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in a crime that shocked communities across Kent and prompted waves of protests from women wanting to "Reclaim these Streets" across the country.

His arrest on Tuesday, March 9 triggered huge searches across Kent, including at the home he shared with his wife and children, his family's former garage premises in Dover, a waterway in Sandwich and the woodland near Ashford where Miss Everard’s remains were found.

Miss Everard, a marketing executive, was snatched from the street as she was walking home from a friend's house towards Brixton on the evening of March 3.

She grew up in York and lived in Brixton, and was seen on a doorbell camera at around 9pm walking along Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill.

A Metropolitan Police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later.

Couzens was a member of the elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection division of the Met, where he was entitled to carry a firearm and protect MPs, dignitaries and security for major public events.

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