Like any other 28-year-old, Sabina Nessa has planned to spend her Friday evening out with a friend, but she tragically never made it to their meeting.
The primary school teacher was set to meet a friend at Depot bar on September 17, 2021. She left the house in a rush and in a cruel twist of fate, because she was running late, she chose to take a shortcut through Cator Park in South East London, entering just after 8pm.
But what she didn't know was that her killer, Koci Selamaj, 36, was lurking in the shadows. After his abused ex-wife, who had left him just weeks earlier, rejected his advances, he lay in wait in the park for 25 minutes with his hood up, ready to pounce on his prey in a 'savage' sexually motivated attack.
After they crossed paths along the walkway, Selamaj struck Sabina with an emergency traffic triangle and dragged her into the bushes. He then strangled her in the undergrowth and left her body to be discovered by a dog walker 24 hours later. Two years ago today on April 8, 2022, Selamaj was jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years.
Sabina Nessa was brutally killed while on a five-minute walk from her home (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)Fortunately, police had been able to capture Selamaj on CCTV before the brutal murder. Senior Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: "In this case we were very lucky in many respects that the incident - which is shocking and harrowing - was caught on camera."
Killer's sick final insult to his victim's family on the day he was jailed
Describing the grainy images, he described the events that unfolded on that fateful night. He began: "Selamaj had entered the park 22 minutes earlier, in effect skulking in the shadows, looking to see who came into the park.
"Sabina unfortunately crossed paths with him. As they passed each other on the pathway, he carries on walking for a short period of time, turns, looks, there is a momentary glance, and runs back to Sabina.
"He has run at her at a rapid pace and, just as he is upon her, I would suggest that she has heard footsteps behind her and, as she started to look around, he has gratuitously struck her over the head with a red warning triangle 34 times in quick succession.
"That has rendered her unconscious over a park bench. And he has manhandled her up a grass bank and out of sight. The imagery then shows there was a gap of 10 minutes where he and Sabina are out of shot.
Cator Park at Kidbrooke Village in south-east London where Sabina was murdered (Grant Falvey/LNP)"Then we see him coming back down to the park bench where the assault took place and picking up bits from the floor - the warning triangle. He then goes out of sight for a further 10-minute period and then he reappears back at the bench where he is seen to attempt to wipe down the bench with tissues."
Ms Nessa isn't seen alive again. Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC had told the court: "The circumstances in which Ms Nessa's body was found demonstrated the sexual motivation that must have existed - the positioning of her legs, the exposure of parts of her body and the removal of her underwear and tights."
Alison Morgan QC said the day before the sentencing: "It was out of character for Sabina to walk in Cator Park after dark". Sabina had discussed with friends being concerned about being there after dark. Ms Morgan added: "It seems likely that she chose to walk across the park that night because she was running late and this was the quickest route to get to the Depot Bar."
This CCTV shows Selamaj walking in Pegler Square in South East London (PA)The judge said Sabina's horrendous murder added to the "sense of insecurity" felt by women walking through the city at night. Mr Justice Sweeney added: "She had every right, as her family said, to be walking through the park all glammed up and out to enjoy herself after a long week at work. The defendant robbed her and them of her life."
Sabina's body was found hidden underneath a pile of grass nearly 24 hours later by a dog walker. Selamaj admitted murder in February 2022 and faces life in prison, but he refused to attend court at the sentencing. Mr Justice Sweeney called his decision "cowardly".
The defendant had also been captured on CCTV footage stalking the hotel lobby of a five-star hotel where his wife worked just hours before setting his murderous sights on Sabina. Garage worker Selamaj planned the savage murder after being rejected by his wife in his home town of Eastbourne. He murdered the primary school teacher just weeks after his wife left him due to his domestic abuse, which included him 'throttling' her at least three times.
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Selamaj tried to persuade his wife to have sex with him just hours before his attack, but she refused. The defendant booked a £400 room at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, located five minutes from his home. Ms Morgan told the court the booking was "indicative of his premeditation to have some kind of sexual encounter that evening".
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