Man jailed for life for a London murder 30 years ago

A man whose bloody footprints were used to solve a near 30-year-old murder in London has been jailed for life.

Sandip Patel stabbed 39 year old Marina Koppel more than 140 times in August 1994 at her rented flat in Chiltern Street.

The then 21-year-old student's finger marks were found on a carrier bag in Colombian-born Mrs Koppel's kitchen but he was not treated as a suspect at the time.

He was charged with her murder last year after his DNA was matched to hair on the victim's ring and he was linked by a bloody footprint on a skirting board.

During the attack, he had allegedly extracted Mrs Koppel's bank card pin and used the number to withdraw money near his home.

Patel, 51, of Finchley Road, north London, had denied murder but declined to give evidence in his defence.

"No sentence that I pass can compensate the family of Mrs Koppel for their loss."

Mr Justice Cavanagh, sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, said:

"The terror and pain that you inflicted on Mrs Koppel is difficult to imagine.

"You deprived Ms Koppel of many more years of life.

Mr Justice Cavanagh sentenced Patel to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years, using guidelines that were in place when the murder occurred in 1994.

He said aggravating factors included the use of and attempted disposal of a knife, the gratuitous and sustained violence, the vulnerability of Mrs Koppel and a lack of remorse.

Patel did not appear in court for the sentencing, but weeping could be heard in the public gallery once it was passed.

Mrs Koppel, who had two children in Colombia, rented the flat in London because she worked as a masseuse and a sex worker, the court heard.

Her husband, who lived in Northampton, "did not necessarily approve" of her work but "accepted it", jurors were told.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said little was known of Mrs Koppel's last movements.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Ms Koppel's son Javier Rios said:

"It is not easy for me to re-live the saddest moment of my life after 29 years.

"I am convinced that my mum had a lot of life to live still, it was not her time and this is very painful - it tears my very soul.

"I hope to be able to close this chapter and to remember my mother how she was - the best mother in the world."

Martin Koppel, the brother-in-law of Mrs Koppel, described her in his statement as "a dynamic and vivacious personality" and said that Mr Koppel had suffered "an increasingly rapid decline" following his wife's death.

He added: "He (Mr Koppel) actually really wanted his life to be over as there was no drive in him. The day Marina was murdered, I lost my brother."

Even though Patel's finger marks were found on an unbranded plastic bag in the kitchen, he was not treated as a suspect because he would have handled bags from nearby Sherlock Holmes News, as it was run by his father at the time.

Patel only became a confirmed suspect in 2022 after his DNA was matched to a hair found by a scientist on the ring in 2008.

Although technology was still not advanced enough then for scientists to get a DNA profile, it was preserved until 2022 and re-examined.

The bloody footprint was found at the scene in 1994 and matched to Patel after he was made a suspect, the prosecutor said.

Mr Koppel died in 2005, never discovering who murdered his wife.

Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, Head of the Specialist Casework team for Central Specialist Crime. said:

“We are so pleased that finally Marina’s killer has been brought to justice. It is extremely sad that her husband did not live to see this day.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with Marina’s family and friends and we hope that today’s verdict will bring some closure for them.

“Even though Patel has been convicted for the brutal murder of Marina, we may never know the reasons for his actions on that day. Unsolved murder cases are never closed and it is due to the developments of forensic techniques we have been able to identify the suspect for this barbaric crime.”

Operational Forensic Manager Dan Chester, is the Met’s Forensic Lead for Cold Case Homicide Investigations. He said:

“Unsolved historic murders can be among some of the most complex and challenging cases for police to solve. However, today’s result provides an example where forensic science, newer technologies and collaborative working practices have had a positive impact in bringing a brutal killer to justice.

“This was a great team effort with the forensic scientists, fingerprint experts, the forensic manager and the investigating team all playing their part in solving Marina’s murder.

“Forensic techniques and technologies are constantly evolving, and the police will continue to review serious unsolved cases and, where possible, pursue new opportunities to enable both the prosecution of those responsible and to exonerate the innocent. This includes cases specifically related to violence against women."

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