A sexual predator risks his life behind bars for the murder of schoolteacher Sabina Nessa.
Koci Selamaj, 36, drove to London from his home in Eastbourne on the south coast to carry out a premeditated attack on a woman with “extreme violence”.
The mechanic was hiding around Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, before targeting Ms Nessa, 28, as she crossed to meet a friend on September 17 last year.
CCTV footage captured the moment Selamaj attacked Ms Nessa by hitting her in the head 34 times with a 2ft long metal warning triangle, before dragging her away unconscious.
He then pulled up her clothes, took off her pantyhose and underwear, and strangled her before covering her body with grass.
The body of Ms Nessa, who taught a year one class at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford, was found almost 24 hours later near a community center in the park.
Selamaj was arrested in the seaside town and charged with her death a few days later.
In February, the Albanian national pleaded guilty to murder.
He will return to the Old Bailey this afternoon to be sentenced by Judge Sweeney.
At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan QC said Selamaj had been violent towards her ex-partner in the past, including strangling her on several occasions.
Three days before Ms Nessa’s attack, the accused had booked a room at the five-star Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, the town where he already had accommodation.
On September 17, he booked into the hotel and, two hours before the murder, contacted his former partner in an unsuccessful attempt to engage him in sexual activity.
The defendant’s Nissan Micra was followed by ANPR cameras and cell site evidence traveling to London.
He used his bank card at Sainsbury’s to buy a rolling pin, although it was never used as a weapon.
He entered Cator Park in Kidbrooke shortly after 8pm and waited half an hour before Ms Nessa arrived en route to The Depot bar where she was due to meet a friend.
Ms Morgan said: ‘The accused is actually seen strolling around the park before spotting the deceased, checking to see if anyone else was nearby before turning and running after her.
“He is then seen walking towards the deceased and hitting her repeatedly with a weapon about 2 feet long.
“CCTV footage shows the defendant then carrying the deceased, who appeared to be unconscious at the time, onto a bank and effectively out of sight.”
Selamaj’s actions afterward were not caught on camera, but Ms. Nessa was not seen alive again.
The prosecutor said: ‘The man appeared after 10 minutes.
“He is seen picking up pieces of the weapon that had shattered on the ground, then returning to the area where the deceased was for another 10 minutes.”
The court heard he removed Ms Nessa’s underwear and tights and pulled her clothes up so that her upper body was exposed.
Selamaj was also seen using wet wipes to clean a nearby bench.
En route to the south coast, Selamaj stopped in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent where he cleared the emergency triangle of the River Teise.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-07 07:10:16
