Eastbourne man who murdered Sabina Nessa is jailed for life

Teacher Sabina Nessa was battered and strangled to death in a ‘pre-meditated sexually motivated murder’ by Koci Selamaj, 36.

Selamaj pleaded guilty to the charge in February, and was this morning (Friday, April 8) sentenced to life in prison.

Sabina, 28, was murdered as she made the short walk from her home to The Depot bar in Kidbrooke Village, London, to meet a friend on the evening of Friday September 17 last year. But she never arrived.

Her body was found nearly 24 hours later, covered with grass near a community centre in the park.

She was hit an estimated 34 times with a metal warning triangle and then strangled.

Detectives said Selamaj had booked a £300-£400 hotel room at Eastbourne’s Grand Hotel the day before.

Staff at the hotel raised the alarm with police, phoning 101, when he booked the room that day as they knew he lived close by.

Police said one of the biggest gaps in their knowledge was his motive, which has ‘frustrated the family deeply’, and why he would pick Kidbrooke when it appeared he had never even been there before.

The car he used had never even gone to London, officers said.

Forensic evidence also discovered Sabina’s blood on Selamaj’s trainers.

Using ANPR cameras, they were able to track Selamaj’s return to Eastbourne via Kent.

The murder weapon was found in the Teise River in Kent, but no forensic evidence could be retrieved.

Detective Sergeant Mark Johnson said, “When he was cautioned, he said, ‘what would happen if I open up now’.

“That is the only thing that he has said to the police all throughout the investigation.”

DCI John outlined the case, saying, “The incident which is shocking and harrowing was actually caught on camera.

“The imagery that was caught was in black and white, and grainy, but it showed the incident that took place.

“We know from later into the enquiry she left the house at about 8.28pm in the evening and was on the way to meet a friend at a local restaurant.

“It’s quite poignant and sad that as her friends had said she had spoken previously that she avoided that route.

“Due to running late, we surmise that she had taken a shortcut and gone through the path.

“Other cameras in the park show Selamaj entered the park 22 minutes earlier and was, in my words, skulking in the shadows.

“Unfortunately, she had the misfortune of crossing paths with him and as the imagery shows they pass each other on the pathway, he carries on walking shortly, turns, looks and gives a momentary glance and then looks back at Sabina.

“He runs at her in a rapid pace and... he attacks her with a red warning triangle.

“The count is 34 times in quick succession. That rendered her unconscious over a park bench and he then manhandled her onto 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.

“You can see him come back to the park bench where the assault had taken place picking up bits of the warning triangle.

“He then went outside that area for a further 10 minute period. He was then seen at the bench and appears to wipe down the bench with tissues or something.

“It’s at 8.56pm he casually walks off camera out of sight.”

The officer added, “This was a pre-meditated sexually motivated murder.

“When Sabina was recovered her underwear was missing. Her skirt, or dress to put it clearly, was pulled up and her bra was exposed. It’s for those reasons we’ve put to Selamaj that that matter was sexually motivated.”

The officers discussed how the hotel staff at the Grand Hotel had raised the alarm with police.

DS Johnson said: “A member of the hotel staff called 101. They were a bit uneasy about him. They knew he lived close by so there was something not quite right about him.”

DCI John added, “The hotel staff was uncomfortable with his demeanour. They just weren’t comfortable. He was questioning and querying why they wanted him to pay now.

“Police can’t go to everything. The police operator did the right thing as in that moment there was no cause for any great concern.

“The operator informed the staff that the call had been reported, and if there was more cause for concern to call the police back and they would reassess.”

Paying tribute to Sabina, the officers said, “Sabina was just 28 years old when her life was cruelly taken away. She was a sister, daughter, aunt.

“She was a teacher loved by her pupils and a friend to many. Her family described her as fun, determined and kind.

“As I said on conviction I don’t want to waste too many words on Selamaj. He is an evil coward who cruelly took away the bright future of a young woman and has never given any explanation for his actions. These are some brief details of what we do know about him.

“We are pleased that Selamaj will now spend the majority of his life in prison, unable to cause this kind of pain and heartache to any other families. We also know that thankfully, cases like this are incredibly rare.

“But we are not naïve. Right across the Met, we know that there is more to do when it comes to tackling violence against women and girls.

“Just last week we published our updated Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan which incorporates the feedback we have received from the public and other organisations over the last five months.

“Actions already taken include increased patrols in open spaces, the roll out of our walk and talk scheme and a pilot of Project Vigilant which tackles predatory offending around the night-time economy.

“Women and girls have the right to feel safe at any time, day or night, in public or at home. Sabina had every right to feel safe walking through Cator Park.

“It is for her, and for all those who have lost their lives at the hands of violent offenders, that we will continue our relentless effort to identify those who carry out these crimes and bring them to justice.”