The family of murdered school teacher Sabina Nessa branded her killer an “animal” and a “coward” as he refused to face them at his sentencing hearing.
Ms Nessa, 28, was bludgeoned by garage worker Koci Selemaj before being dragged into the undergrowth of a southeast London park where she was strangled.
Selemaj, 36, an Esso garage worker, now faces life in prison for the murder, but has failed to attend his sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey.
Ms Nessa’s sister Jabina held back tears as she called Selemaj a “coward” for “not facing up to your responsibility and for what damage you have done to our family”.
“We just want answers to why you killed here. Why?” She said.
“The images will forever remain in our minds of what Sabina went through. In our heads, we have these images of what happened, how our sister must have felt when you decided to run after her and attack her from the back, when clearly she couldn’t defend herself.”
Ms Nessa said her sister “had the right to feel safe” when walking through a park, hailing her as “powerful, fearless, bright, and just an amazing soul”.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC read a statement from Ms Nessa’s parents, who said to Selamaj: “You had no right to take her away from us in such a way.
“The moment the police officer came to our house and told us she was found dead, our world shattered into tiny pieces.
“Those pieces can’t be put back together.
“How could you ever do such a thing to an innocent girl who was walking by and minding her own business.
“You are not a human being, you are an animal.”
Ms Nessa was on her way to meet a friend at a bar when she was attacked and murdered by Selamaj, 36, who had spent the evening searching for a woman to have sex with.
CCTV captured the chilling moment garage worker Selamaj chased the school teacher before striking her 34 times over the head with an object believed to be an emergency traffic triangle.
Ms Nessa’s unconscious body was then dragged into the undergrowth by Selemaj, who removed some of her clothing, strangled her and then tried to cover the body with grass.
Mr Justice Sweeney is considering the minimum term for Selamaj’s life sentence, as well as whether the murder was sexually motivated.
Ms Morgan told the court Selamaj, who worked at an Esso garage in Lewes, had checked in to a £325-a-night room at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne on the night of the murder, September 17 last year.
“The defendant’s decision to make a hotel reservation that night, when he lived just around the corner, is indicative of his premeditation to have some kind of sexual encounter that evening,” she said.
Selamaj was separated from his wife at the time, and she came forward after the murder to reveal how their marriage had ended after several bouts of violence.
She said his behaviour deteriorated from May last year, including “dictating how she should behave”, and this turned into “physical aggression”.
“On two occasions, the defendant placed his hands around (her) throat”, said Ms Morgan. “On one occasion, he pushed her, causing her to fall backwards onto a sofa. His demeanour caused her to become fearful for her life and she decided to leave the defendant.”
She agreed to meet Selamaj on the evening of Ms Nessa’s murder, and told police about another bout of strange behaviour.
“Koci was very agitated, he was in the driver seat and had a bottle of drink next to him,” she said in a statement.
“He then quickly moved onto the back seat without exiting the car. He then tried to convince me to move to the back of the car, next to him. I think that he wanted to have sex in the car.
“I don’t know what was bothering him, but he was very agitated. I refused to move next to him at the back of the car and remained in the front passenger seat.”
Ms Morgan said GPS data shows Selamaj driving around “looking for someone to have a sexual encounter with” before he headed to Kidbrooke in southeast London.
Selamaj was captured on CCTV buying a rolling pin at Sainsbury’s, but is believed to have chosen the emergency triangle as the weapon because it was heavier.
Ms Nessa, who had been enjoying drinks with a friend at home before heading out to the Depot Bar in Kidbrooke Village, had expressed misgivings about crossing the park at night in the past.
“It was out of character for Sabina to walk through Cator Park after dark,” said the prosecutor. “She had discussed being concerned about being in the park after dark on earlier occasions.
“It seems likely that she chose to walk across the park that night because she was running late and this was the quickest route to get to The Depot Bar.”
She sent a message at 8.27pm to the man she was due to meet, suggesting they sit outside the bar, but she never reached her destination.
Describing the moment of the attack, Ms Morgan said: “Sabina Nessa and Koci Selamaj pass each other on the path. Selamaj turns to his right and looks in her direction.
“He turns around after she passes and is now in the same direction as her. She glances to her right in his direction, puts her head does and carries on walking.
“Thereafter, Selamaj chased Ms Nessa along the path holding the reflective item in his left hand. She realised that someone was approaching from behind and turned to look at her attacker.”
Members of Ms Nessa’s family left court as the CCTV was played, clearly showing Selamaj deciding to attack, pulling out the weapon, and chasing Ms Nessa towards a park bench.
He then delivered a catalogue of blows to the victim as she tried to fend him off.
“There were approximately 34 blows to the head, with such force that pieces of the weapon were broken off,” said Ms Morgan.
“The blows rendered Ms Nessa unconscious and she was unconscious on the bench. The defendant then grabbed her body and dragged her up a slope into an area of long grass.”
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.
Her underwear had been removed, and Ms Morgan said she had been “positioned” by Selamaj was her hands placed inside her coat pocket.
Selamaj had wiped down a park bench after the attack, and threw the emergency triangle into the river in Tunbridge Wells on his way back to the hotel.
He entered the hotel room at midnight and checked out at 9am the following morning, returning to his garage job until he was ultimately arrested for murder on September 26.
Selamaj, an Albanian national, has admitted murder, and is expected to be sentenced by Mr Justice Sweeney tomorrow.
