Wayne Couzens was deployed to guard MPs at the House of Commons on multiple occasions before he raped and murdered Sarah Everard, it has been revealed.
The armed police officer, 48, performed duties in the Houses of Parliament at least five times despite being nicknamed 'The Rapist' by colleagues and having a known history of sexual deviance.
The killer was even issued with an 'access-all-areas' pass, one senior parliamentary source told The Times.
It has also emerged that Couzens received up to £10,000 from the Met Police in pay during the four months after his arrest.
He was not officially sacked by the force until mid-July after he pleaded guilty.
Wayne Couzens was deployed to guard MPs at the House of Commons on multiple occasions before he raped and murdered Sarah Everard, it has been revealed
Couzens joined the Met's elite parliamentary and diplomatic protection command in 2020 with very little or no additional vetting.
The Met previously refused to discuss his Westminster posting and said last week his 'primary role was to patrol diplomatic premises, mainly embassies'.
But after inquiries by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, a Met spokeswoman said: 'Couzens was deployed to armed static protection duties on the Parliamentary Estate on five occasions from February to July 2020.'
The revelation has sparked fury among politicians who believed they were working in one of the country's safest buildings.
Hoyle said he was 'extremely concerned' and would be speaking to under-fire Met chief Dame Cressida Dick.
The armed police officer, 48, performed duties in the Houses of Parliament at least five times despite being nicknamed 'The Rapist'
He said: 'I have asked the Met to meet me urgently to discuss how this person could have been deemed suitable for deployment here. Further, I will be seeking reassurance that at no time was anyone on the parliamentary estate put at risk.'
Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who has been the subject of online abuse and threats, said: 'It's chilling that someone whose nickname was "the Rapist" was guarding MPs when we are told that we are protected by a ring of steel.'
She also called on Parliament to hold a security review to ensure it does not happen again.
Couzens joined the Met's elite parliamentary and diplomatic protection command in 2020
One senior parliamentary source accused the Met of
