‘A kick in the teeth’: Murdered Sabina Nessa’s family hit out at killers who refuse to face justice

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The sister of murdered school teacher Sabina Nessa has described her killer’s refusal to attend court as a “kick in the teeth”.

“I wanted him to hear how much hurt he had caused and how broken we are as a family now that she has gone,” her sister Jebina Yasmin Islam said on the second anniversary of her sibling’s death.

Ms Islam branded the justice system “outdated” as she welcomed the news criminals will be forced into the dock to hear their sentence under new plans announced by Rishi Sunak last month.

Ms Nessa was brutally killed by garage worker Koci Selamaj, 36, in a random attack while she was walking through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, southeast London, on 17 September 2021.

During an Old Bailey appearance, Selamaj pleaded guilty to the sexually motivated killing but refused to attend court on the date of his sentencing in April last year.

As a result, Ms Islam and her family were unable to see him jailed and were forced to listen through the harrowing details of Ms Nessa’s death without him sitting in the dock.

“He has literally broken our hearts, he had no right to take our sister in that way,” she said. “I firmly believe that once you’ve been found guilty, all your rights should have been taken away.”

Following serial killer nurse Lucy Letby’s refusal to attend court, the Ministry of Justice has said that judges will be given the power to order offenders into court, using force if necessary.

“I’m over the moon but quite emotional at the same time.” Ms Islam said. “It’s been such a long time waiting for this change. Now that it’s happening, it’s amazing but emotional at the same time especially as it happened so close to the anniversary of Sabina’s death.”

Speaking of Selamaj’s refusal to attend court, she said: “It was a kick in the teeth. The fact he still had that power over us.”

While welcoming the reform, she described the justice process as “mental anguish” and stated that further changes were needed.

“I feel like the justice system is outdated,” she said. “There’s a lot more work that needs to be put into place but this is a right step in the right direction.”

Speaking of her own experience, she recalled that her family was not informed that Selamaj’s relatives were also present at the Old Bailey and so were left blindsided when his barrister announced it in open court.

“I didn’t know much about the law until being in this process but I still felt it was on the defendant’s side,” Ms Islam said. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a good change and hopefully if people do complete these horrendous crimes, they have to pay the consequences.”

Other recent notable cases where killers have refused to enter the dock include Zara Aleena’s killer Jordan McSweeney and Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s murderer Thomas Cashman.

Announcing the reform on 30 August, Rishi Sunak said it was “unacceptable” that some of the country’s most horrendous criminals refused to face their victims in court.

“They cannot and should not be allowed to take the coward’s way out,” the prime minister said.

For Ms Nessa’s family, the anniversary of her death on Sunday will be a period of quiet reflection together while the Royal Borough of Greenwich has announced it will be lighting Woolwich Town Hall in her memory.

Councillor Ann-Marie Cousins, cabinet member for community safety and enforcement said: “My deepest condolences go out to Sabina’s family during this time.

“We are committed to creating a safer community for all and tackling gender-based violence continues to be a priority. We will continue to work with the police and community safety partners to do everything we can to end violence against not just women and girls but for all genders.”