Man admits murder of London primary school teacher Sabina Nessa
Koci Selamaj has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey
Last updated 25th Feb 2022
Koci Selamaj has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murdering primary school teacher Sabina Nessa in a south-east London park.
The 28-year-old's body was discovered in Cator park, Kidbrooke on 18th September 2021.
Koci Selamaj, 36, drove to London from his home in Eastbourne on the south coast to carry out a pre-meditated attack on a woman.
The garage worker lurked around Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east, London, before targeting 28-year-old Ms Nessa as she passed through on her way to meet a friend.
The body of Ms Nessa, who taught a year one class at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford, was found nearly 24 hours later covered with grass near a community centre in the park.
Selamaj, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested in the seaside town and charged over her death days later.
At an Old Bailey hearing on Friday, Selamaj, an Albanian national, pleaded guilty to murder.
The defendant had no previous convictions and was not known to his victim.
What happened last September
Ms Nessa had made plans to meet a friend at The Depot bar in Kidbrooke Village on the evening of September 17.
From her home, her route took her through Cator Park where Selamaj was waiting.
At a previous hearing, Alison Morgan QC said: “Some of her movements through the park and the attack on her were captured on CCTV footage.
“The male shown on that CCTV footage is alleged to be this defendant.”
Three days before, the defendant put his plan into action by booking a room at the five-star Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, the town where he already had accommodation.
His reservation was for the night of September 17 and he arrived earlier in the day to check in.
He spoke to hotel staff and was captured walking through the lobby wearing the same clothes as the suspect later caught on CCTV in Kidbrooke.
The defendant’s Nissan Micra was tracked by ANPR cameras and cell site evidence was gathered to identify his movements from Eastbourne to south London later that day.
The evidence showed the defendant also used his bank card at Sainsbury’s in Kidbrooke.
He was captured in footage wearing “distinctive” trainers with a thick white sole which were later seized from his house and found to have blood traces on them.
The defendant entered Cator Park shortly after 8pm and lay in wait for half an hour before Ms Nessa arrived.
Ms Morgan said: “The defendant is seen in effect loitering in locations around the park before spotting the deceased, checking to see if anyone else was nearby before turning and running after her.
Ms Nessa was discovered dead the following day covered in grass.
Phone data and traffic cameras captured the defendant returning to Eastbourne, arriving at the ÂŁ170-a-night Grand Hotel just after midnight.
He stayed the night at the hotel and checked out in the morning.
Selamaj was arrested at his home in Eastbourne on September 26.
In a police interview, the defendant made no comment except to deny murder when asked directly if he was responsible for killing Ms Nessa.
Earlier this year, a lawyer for the Selamaj confirmed that he accepted being the person caught on CCTV and that he had hit Ms Nessa a number of times.
The case was one of many to highlight safety of women and girls in London
The murder of Ms Nessa heightened concern for the safety of women and girls in the capital following the stranger murders of Sarah Everard, and sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
Previously, Ms Nessa’s family have said: “No family should ever have to go through this. We need our leaders to step up, and we need our communities to step up.
“We need our country to step up and stand with us and say no more violence against women.
“We also hope that everyone remembers Sabina as the joyful, happy, dedicated person that loved teaching and contributing to the community that she loved dearly.”