A British judge on Friday sentenced a sex offender to at least 36 years in prison for the murder of Sabina Nessa, a primary school teacher who was killed on her way to visit a friend in London.
Koci Selamaj, from Eastbourne on the south coast of England, pleaded guilty to carrying out the premeditated attack on September 17. Closed circuit TV footage captured the moment when the garage worker attacked Nessa from behind, hitting her in the head 34 times with a 2-foot slam. long traffic triangle made of metal.
An undated photo released by the Metropolitan Police on September 23, 2021 shows Sabina Nessa, who was murdered in a park in south London, very close to her home. Metropolitan Police via AP
Nessa, 28, was found dead in a park in Kidbrooke, south-east London. Her murder – while walking through a park just minutes from her home – fueled concerns that women are unsafe on the streets of the British capital.
Hundreds of people held a vigil in her memory shortly after her death and called for an end to violence against women.
People react while holding lit candles during a vigil for 28-year-old teacher Sabina Nessa, whose body was found near the Onespace community center in Pegler Square in Kidbrooke, south-east London, September 24, 2021. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Nessa’s death came six months after the kidnapping, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in south London by an acting police officer. The Everard case shocked the country and also led to people taking to the streets to denounce violence against women.
“It is a striking feature of the defendant’s case that he appears to have deliberately failed to suggest that he had any remorse for what he did to Sabina Nessa,” Justice Nigel Sweeney said.
Selamaj chose not to attend the sentencing hearing for the indiscriminate attack.
Addressed to Selamaj, Nessa’s parents Abdur Rouf and Azibun Nessa said in a statement: “You had no right to take her away from us in such a cruel way.”
“The moment the police officer came to our house and told us that she was found dead, our world shattered,” her parents said. “How could you do something like that to an innocent girl walking past minding her own business?”
“You are not human, you are an animal.”
The police and local government have been criticized for their response to the killing. Kidbrooke Local Government has issued 200 personal alarm devices to women and vulnerable people in the area. The police distributed leaflets with tips for staying safe on the roads, including recommendations to “plan your route in advance”, “tell someone where you are going” and “keep out of busy places”.
The advice prompted a swift public backlash, with many pointing out that Nessa was attacked while taking a short stroll through a busy park in her own neighborhood.
“It’s not our fault that we keep getting killed,” Jaime Klingler, co-founder of activist group Reclaim These Streets, told CBS News. “It’s not up to us, and they need to stop making us do it.”
Maddie Richards contributed to this report.