Delivery driver arrested in murder of British schoolteacher Sabina Nessa during a 5-minute walk
A 36-year-old man has been arrested in the murder of Sabina Nessa, a schoolteacher who disappeared during a five-minute walk from her southeast London home to a pub to meet friends on Friday night.
Koci Selamaj of Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England, was arrested early Sunday and charged with murder, London Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Selamaj, a delivery driver originally from Albania, was arrested in a 3 a.m. raid, The Times of London reported.
Nessa, 28, was found by a dog walker at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, hidden under a pile of leaves in a park, The Independent reported. Authorities believe she was attacked around 8:30 p.m. Friday.
At first the dog walker, who was not publicly identified, thought the woman had passed out on her way home from a party, and knelt down to talk to her, neighbor Fiona Oletu, 23, told The Independent.
“He was walking his dog on the other side of the path,” she said. “He crossed over and said it was strange because there was someone passed out covered in leaves. So he got down and started talking to her, because he thought she had maybe got drunk and passed out.”
Then he brushed the leaves out, saw blood and realized something was very wrong, she said.
“She did not have a pulse and wasn’t breathing,” Oletu said. “His phone had died, so he had to borrow someone else’s and then called the police.”
The elementary school where Nessa taught mourned the loss of a “brilliant teacher,” The Guardian reported.
“We are devastated by Sabina’s tragic death,” Lisa Williams, the head of Rushey Green primary school in Lewisham, told The Guardian. “She was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils. She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad. As a school we are supporting each other through this very difficult time, and we will be providing specialist support to those who need it.”
Nessa’s killing comes just six months after the death of Sarah Everard, who was murdered by a police officer. Her killing sparked widespread protests against what activists say is an epidemic of gender-based violence toward women in Britain.
More than 500 people attended a vigil for Nessa on Friday, BBC News reported. Kate Middleton Duchess of Cambridge expressed condolences and support in a rare public media statement.
“I am saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets,” Middleton tweeted. “My thoughts are with Sabina’s family and friends, and all those who have been affected by this tragic event. C.”
At the vigil, Nessa’ sister Jebina Yasmin Islam described her family’s pain.
“We have lost an amazing sister far too early,” Islam said, according to CNN. “Sabina loved her family. We have lost our sister, my parents lost their daughter, and my girls have lost such a brilliant, loving, caring auntie. This feels like we’re stuck in a bad dream, and we can’t get out of it.”
With News Wire Services
