Sabina Nessa’s murder in September 2021 shattered a London family and reignited national anger over male violence against women, institutional failings, and whose stories get heard. Her sister, Jebina Yasmin Islam, has since turned grief into a campaign demanding tougher consequences for killers, more support for families, and real change in how the UK tackles violence against women and girls.
Who Sabina Nessa Was
Sabina Nessa was a 28‑year‑old primary school teacher living in Kidbrooke, south‑east London, known by family, pupils and colleagues as kind, patient and generous. Raised in Sandy, Bedfordshire, in a British‑Bangladeshi family, she studied sociology at the University of Greenwich and later qualified as a teacher, working at Rushey Green Primary School in Lewisham and dreaming of teaching abroad.
Her sister, Jebina Yasmin Islam, describes Sabina Nessa as a loving daughter, sister and aunt whose life centred on family and the children she taught. Friends and community members remember her as someone who volunteered her time, cooked for others and tried to lift people’s spirits, traits that have made her loss feel even more senseless.
The Night of the Murder
On the evening of 17 September 2021, Sabina Nessa left her home in Kidbrooke at around 8.30 pm to walk the short distance, about five minutes, through Cator Park to meet a friend at a nearby bar. She never arrived, and the next day, at about 5.30 p.m., a dog walker discovered her body hidden under vegetation in the park.
Investigators later established that 36‑year‑old Koci Selamaj, a garage worker from Eastbourne, had travelled to London that evening intending to attack a random woman after serious problems in his own relationship. CCTV showed him loitering in Cator Park, then turning back towards Sabina Nessa, striking her repeatedly with a metal traffic triangle until she was unconscious, dragging her into the bushes, strangling her and attempting to conceal her body before driving back towards Eastbourne.
The Investigation and Arrest
The Metropolitan Police initially arrested another man on suspicion of murder before releasing him with no further action, and they appealed for information by releasing CCTV stills of a man and a silver car linked to the attack. As public concern grew, officers from the Met and Kent Police searched parts of Kent where Selamaj had stopped to dispose of the murder weapon in a river.
Selamaj was arrested in Eastbourne on 26 September 2021 after being identified from CCTV, then charged with murder the following day. Early post‑mortem tests were inconclusive about the precise cause of death, but prosecutors described the attack as premeditated, predatory and sexually motivated, stressing that there was no evidence he knew Sabina Nessa.
Court Case and the Life Sentence
Selamaj first appeared at the Old Bailey via video link, initially indicating he would deny murder while admitting responsibility for Sabina Nessa’s death. In February 2022, at the start of his trial, he changed his plea to guilty of murder, and in April 2022, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 36 years, making him ineligible for parole consideration until 2057.
The sentencing judge called the killing a “savage” and “cowardly” stranger attack on a lone woman walking a short, familiar route, underlining the extreme violence and planning involved. For Sabina Nessa’s family, however, justice felt incomplete because of one decision Selamaj made at the end of the case.
“He Should’ve Faced Me in Court”
When the sentence was handed down, Selamaj refused to attend the hearing in person or via video link, using a legal right that allows defendants in England and Wales to stay away from court on the day of their sentencing. This meant he never had to look at Sabina’s family or listen as they read their victim impact statements describing the devastation his actions caused.
In interviews, including a detailed feature reflecting on the tragedy and her campaign, Jebina has said he “should’ve faced me in court”, calling his absence an extra cruelty and arguing that the justice system prioritised his comfort over the familyHolliday Grainger Returns in The Capture Season 3: First Look and New Dangers’s right to confront him. She has urged the government to change the law so convicted killers can be compelled to attend sentencing, echoing similar calls from other bereaved families in high‑profile cases.
A Family Broken by Violence
Jebina has spoken openly about how Sabina Nessa’s murder has “broken” her family, describing sleepless nights, panic attacks, and the lasting trauma of knowing her sister’s final moments were marked by fear and violence. Her parents, who migrated to the UK for a safer, better life for their children, have struggled with deep depression and physical health problems worsened by grief.
The family have also described the painful experience of attending multiple court hearings, hearing clinical descriptions of the attack, and watching the man responsible show little visible remorse. That emotional toll, they say, is compounded by the feeling that they were not treated as full partners in the process and that their race and faith made their suffering easier to ignore.
Media Coverage and Race
Sabina Nessa’s murder did not initially receive the same level of media attention as the killing of Sarah Everard six months earlier, despite clear parallels as a stranger attack on a woman walking in public space. Public pressure grew after journalists and activists highlighted the relative silence, arguing that women of colour who are murdered are often sidelined in national conversations.
Jebina has said she believes her sister’s case would have been “front page news” for longer if Sabina Nessa had been white, pointing to the slow initial coverage and lack of senior political engagement. She has criticised senior figures in government for what she sees as performative concern, claiming they used Sabina’s name in speeches without taking the time to speak properly with the family or follow up with meaningful support.
Public Outrage and Vigils
Once Sabina Nessa’s story gained national attention, vigils and memorial events were held in London and other UK cities, bringing together women’s groups, faith leaders, community organisers and local politicians. At a major vigil in London, her family addressed crowds alongside campaigners against violence towards women and girls, calling for safer streets and stronger action from the police and government.
Flowers were laid in Sabina Nessa’s memory at 10 Downing Street, and the Mayor of London described violence against women as a national “epidemic”, linking her case to a wider pattern of femicide. The date of her murder coincided with the government’s own strategy launch on tackling violence against women and girls, something community groups highlighted as a stark reminder that policy promises had not yet translated into women’s safety.
A Campaign for Legal and Social Change
Out of her grief, Jebina has become an advocate, later being recognised in the BBC’s “100 Women” list for her campaigning on women’s safety and justice reform. Her priorities include forcing serious violent offenders to attend sentencing, improving support services and funding for bereaved families, and ensuring that cases involving women of colour receive equal urgency and resources.
She also backs wider calls to treat male violence against women as a systemic issue requiring prevention, education, and accountability rather than a series of isolated crimes. For her, keeping Sabina Nessa’s name in the public eye is a way to honour her sister’s life while pushing institutions to change so that fewer women’s families endure the same pain.
