Sabina Nessa killer Koci Selamaj sentenced to life in prison for murder of teacher

A man who murdered a primary school teacher in London has been jailed for life.

Koci Selamaj, 36, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life with a minimum term of 36 years for the murder of Sabina Nessa.

Selamaj drove to London from his home in Eastbourne on the south coast to carry out a premeditated attack on a woman after being spurned by his estranged wife.

The garage worker lurked around Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, where he targeted 28-year-old Ms Nessa as she passed through on her way to meet a friend on September 17 last year.

CCTV footage captured the moment Selamaj attacked Ms Nessa by striking her over the head 34 times with a 2ft-long metal traffic triangle, before carrying her unconscious up a grassy bank.

He pulled up her clothes, removed her tights and underwear, and strangled her before covering her body in 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 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.

In February, the Albanian national pleaded guilty to murder.

On Friday, Selamaj refused to come to the Old Bailey and was jailed for life in his absence.

Mr Justice Sweeney set a minimum term of 36 years for the “savage” sexually motivated attack.