"this was a premeditated and predatory attack"
A court has heard that primary school teacher Sabina Nessa was killed in a “premeditated and predatory attack” as she walked to a pub to meet a friend.
The 28-year-old was attacked on September 17, 2021, in Cator Park, Kidbrooke.
Her body was discovered nearly 24 hours later.
Koci Selamaj, aged 36, of East Sussex, has been charged with her murder.
At the Old Bailey on September 30, 2021, it was heard that he allegedly loitered in the park for half an hour before carrying out the attack.
It is claimed Selamaj used a 2ft-long weapon to strike Ms Nessa repeatedly before carrying her away unconscious. However, the exact cause of death is not yet known.
Alison Morgan QC, prosecuting, said:
“The defendant is 36 as of this year and had no previous convictions.
“He is an Albanian national. There is nothing to suggest the defendant and the deceased were known to each other.
“The prosecution suggests this was a premeditated and predatory attack on a stranger.
“At the time of these events, the defendant was living at a flat in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
“He has legal status in this country. He was working at a garage in the Eastbourne area.
“On the evening of 17 September, Sabina Nessa made plans to meet with a friend at a bar called The Depot in Kidbrooke Village.
“In order to get to that location, she took a route through Cator Park in Kidbrooke Village.
“She was attacked and killed in Cator Park.
“Some of her movements through the park and the attack on her were captured on CCTV footage.”
Police officers investigating Sabina Nessa’s murder have widened their search.
It is believed they have been searching a vast field as well as conducting fingerprint analysis.
A spokesperson for the Met said:
“Officers are searching an area of woodland near to Tunbridge Wells in Kent as part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sabina Nessa in Kidbrooke.”
Neighbours and locals described Selamaj as a quiet introvert.
Selamaj was remanded in custody ahead of a formal plea hearing on December 16, 2021. A trial date has not yet been set.
On September 24, 2021, hundreds of people attended a vigil to pay tribute to Ms Nessa.
Sabina’s sister Jebina Yasmin Islam thanked the crowd for attending.
She said: “We have lost an amazing, caring, beautiful sister who left this world far too early.
“She didn’t reach her 29th birthday next month.
“Sabina loved her family. We have lost a sister, my parents have lost their daughter, and my girls have lost such a brilliant and caring auntie who dearly loved them.
“Words cannot describe how we are feeling. It feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can’t get out of it. Our world is shattered.
“We have simply lost the words. No family should go through what we are going through.”
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