Robert Sabat, 60, pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-partner Dickiesha Nurse, 42, at her flat in Tulse Hill, south London, between October 21 and 28 last year. He had been released on licence from HMP Wandsworth on October 17 last year after being sentenced the day before to 12 months in prison at Kingston Crown Court.
Sabat had been convicted of possession of a bladed article and harassment after an incident on May 1, 2025 when he banged on the door of a former partner armed with two knives. His licence was to expire on May 22, 2026.
Arrest and confession
On being arrested on suspicion of Ms Nurse's murder, Sabat claimed he had killed before and was planning a "murder spree". Begging to be sent back behind bars, he said: "I stay jail. I've been let out a week. Let me back. I'm happy in there, I've done wrong. I killed before and got away with it."
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC outlined the facts of the case as Sabat, of Balham, south London, appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced on Wednesday (October 7). She said Sabat and Ms Nurse had been in a relationship and had known each other for years as the defendant was raised by her father.
Timeline of events
Two days after Sabat was released from prison, Ms Nurse's children visited her and on returning home, told their father her "friend or cousin" had been there. Ms Nurse told a neighbour on October 22 that Sabat was at her address and would not leave. Another neighbour saw her shouting in the street, "Get out of my house".
Two days later, a neighbour heard a single scream coming from the victim's home which sounded as if a female was in distress and possibly being attacked, the court heard. Ms Nurse was last seen on CCTV the next day. Her secondary school-age children tried to visit on October 26 but got no response when they knocked on her door.
Ms Farrelly said their father thought it was odd so contacted her mother and siblings. Family members raised their concerns on October 27 and paramedics went to her flat to carry out a welfare check accompanied by her sister and mother.
Discovery and arrest
After getting no response at the door, an ambulance crew member got in through an open window and opened the door to allow access. Ms Farrelly said: "As they moved into the hallway, an internal door was flung open, and the defendant came through it, charging towards them, whilst brandishing a red-handled knife."
"The London Ambulance Service crew and family members withdrew from the property and police were called." Soon after, armed officers forced entry to the property and used tasers as they detained Sabat, who smelt strongly of alcohol. Ms Farrelly said officers found Ms Nurse on a bed with a pillow over her face and with multiple stab wounds to the face. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination found she had sustained around eight stab wounds, including to the left side of her face, neck and hands. Police recovered a knife with the victim's blood on it, a bag marked "HMP valuables" and prison records in Sabat's name from the flat.
After being arrested on suspicion of murder, Sabat made a series of comments en route to custody. Asking to be returned to prison, he said: "Not suspicion. Murder. Murder, yeah. I've murdered three people so far. I'm gonna go on a murder spree."
Victim impact and background
In a victim impact statement, Ms Nurse's sister Samantha Carvalho described Sabat as a "menace to society", saying the "heartlessness" of the killing was "impossible to comprehend". She said: "The defendant intentionally cut her again and again, overwhelming her as she struggled for her life."
Ms Carvalho said each cut to her face was an expression of Sabat's "ballistic rage" and he left her on the bed "like a rag doll". Her mother Claudette McBean described her daughter as kind, loving and the "life and soul of the party". Referring to Sabat, she said: "I do not know what he was thinking about but I keep thinking about the fact he was staying in that address all that week.
"If he was here now, I would ask him why he had to do what he did and why he stayed so long in that address. I could put my hands on him but I know he is another person's child. I know there is something wrong with him."
Ms Farrelly said the defendant had convictions dating back to 1987 including burglary, assault, wounding with intent, knife possession, and harassment of an ex-partner. In 2013, he was made subject to a non-molestation order of a former partner and in August 2023 he was given a restraining order after being cleared of attempted murder after the complainant – his landlady – failed to attend court.
