An 'evil' killer, who savagely murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa as she walked through a park on her way to meet friends, has been jailed for at least 36 years. Sexual predator Koci Selamaj, 36, travelled to London from East Sussex to carry out a premeditated attack on a random woman, the Old Bailey heard.
On September 17 last year, just after 8.30pm, 28-year-old Ms Nessa was walking through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, when Selamaj ran up behind her and hit her over the head 34 times with a 2ft-long metal traffic triangle. The brutal attack was captured on CCTV.
Selamaj, a garage worker, then carried her out of view of the camera and up a grassy bank, where he pulled up her clothes, removed her tights and underwear, and strangled her. He then covered her body in grass. She was found nearly 24 hours later near a community centre in the park.
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The court was shown the grainy CCTV footage that captured the attack. The pair went out of shot for 20 minutes after Selamaj was seen moving her body up the bank. Later, as he left the park, he picked up pieces of the warning triangle he used as a weapon and used wet wipes to clean a park bench.
Selamaj dumped the warning triangle in the River Teise in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, as he made his way back from London. The killer was arrested in the seaside town of Eastbourne days later, and police said he appeared to be “calm and collected” on his arrest. He pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told the court that Ms Nessa had expressed concern about being in the park after dark but decided to use the cut through that night because she was running late to meet her friend. Selamaj had entered the park shortly after 8pm and lay in wait for half-an-hour before spotting Ms Nessa and launching his attack.
Selamaj refused to attend his sentencing hearing this week, but a judge jailed him for life with a minimum term of 36 years in his absence. The judge said it was “cowardly” of the Albanian national to refuse to attend his sentencing but said he had no power to force him.
Mr Justice Sweeney told the court that Ms Nessa was the “wholly blameless victim of an absolutely appalling murder which was entirely the fault of the defendant.” Her death added to “the sense of insecurity” particularly felt by woman walking through the city at night.
The judge noted the defendant’s guilty plea and lack of previous convictions. But, he added: “It is a striking feature of the defendant’s case that, clearly deliberately, it is not suggested by him that he had any remorse for what he did to Sabina Nessa.”
Ms Nessa taught a year one class at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford. Headteacher Lisa Williams told the court of the “devastating” impact the murder had on Ms Nessa’s colleagues and students.
Ms Nessa’s parents, Abdur Rouf and Azibun Nessa, addressed the absent killer in court. They said in a statement: “You had no right to take her away from us in such a cruel way. The moment the police officer came to our house and told her she was found dead our world shattered into pieces. How could you do such a thing to an innocent girl walking by, minding her own business."
They added that he was "not a human being" but "an animal". Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Neil John described Selamaj as an “evil coward”.
He said: “It is highly unusual for someone to go from zero to a crime of this magnitude. We are pleased Selamaj will spend the majority of his life in prison.”
Ms Morgan had told the court at an earlier hearing that Selamaj had been violent towards his ex-partner in the past, including throttling her a number of times. Three days before the attack on Ms Nessa, the defendant booked a room at the five-star Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, East Sussex, just five minutes from his home.
At about 2.20pm on September 17, hotel staff alerted police via 101 after Selamaj checked in to his £325-a-night room. Police said they had been concerned about his demeanour and the fact he lived close by.
Selamaj went on to contact his former partner in a failed bid to persuade her to have sex with him. She said in a statement that he appeared “very agitated” when they met in his car near the hotel.
The defendant then drove his Nissan Micra to Brighton and on to Kidbrooke in south London. He used his bank card at Sainsbury’s to buy a rolling pin, chilli flakes and an energy drink. He rejected the rolling pin as a weapon in favour of the traffic triangle, which he was to use to attack Ms Nessa.
In mitigation, Lewis Power QC had said Selamaj had provided no explanation for why he killed Ms Nessa, adding: “He simply accepts that he did it.”
Following the sentencing, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Sabina Nessa cruelly lost her life following the harrowing and callous actions of a man who is rightly now behind bars. Whilst I cannot possibly know how Sabina’s family and friends are feeling, I hope today’s sentence brings them a small comfort, knowing that this evil monster has faced justice."
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