As Koci Selamaj is sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 36 years, for Sabina Nessa's murder, her sister has told us how it's affected her family. More here:
The Home Office says at the time of the murder, Selamaj had the right to be in the UK but officials have refused to give details. However, it has emerged that he entered illegally in 2015, arriving on a lorry after living in Greece. He based himself in Eastbourne, east Sussex, working as a pizza delivery driver and garage attendant. He married his wife on 5 November 2018 and they lived in a flat behind a row shops in Eastbourne.
The prosecution at the Old Bailey described how more than once he put his hands around her throat - a precursor to how he killed Sabina Nessa. His wife, who we are not naming, worked at Eastbourne's Grand Hotel and on 17 September - the day of Sabina's murder - Selamaj booked a room there. CCTV footage later revealed how Selamaj, who had been loitering in the park, spotted Sabina, checked she was alone and ran towards her. He struck her 34 times with a metal traffic triangle, carried her off unconscious and strangled her. Sabina's body, covered in grass, was discovered the following day by a dog walker.
Working around the clock, going through footage from local cameras, the murder team began closing in on the killer. After five days of studying the footage, they worked out what they thought he looked like and what he was wearing." At his first court appearance he indicated he would be pleading not guilty. But in February, at the Old Bailey and with Sabina's family watching, he was asked to enter a formal plea. There was a pause as a packed courtroom waited. Selamaj broke the silence with the word: "Guilty".
Selamaj was recently transferred from prison to Broadmoor high security hospital so his mental state can be assessed as he begins his 36 year sentence.Thousands of miles away in the maritime village of Borsh, in southern Albania, Bardhosh Selamaj told the BBC he was astounded his nephew was now a convicted murderer in the UK.
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