Serial violent offender Robert Sabat, 60, has been jailed for life for fatally stabbing ex-partner Dickiesha Nurse, 42, at her flat in Tulse Hill, south London, in October last year. He was handed a minimum term of 17 years and one month at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Sabat had been released on licence from Wandsworth jail four days earlier after being sentenced the day before to 12 months in prison at Kingston Crown Court. He had been in prison on remand since May.
Recent cases of women murdered by offenders on licence
Dickiesha is the latest in a string of women to be murdered by violent men who had previously been bailed or released on licence. They include Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, who were killed by serial sex offender Simon Levy while he was on bail and being monitored.
Zara Aleena, 35, was murdered by Jordan McSweeney in Ilford, east London, in June 2022, nine days after his release from prison on licence.
Sabat's history of violence and harassment
Sabat had been convicted of possession of a bladed article and harassment relating to an incident on May 1 2025 when he banged on the door of an ex-girlfriend armed with two knives. He has convictions dating back to 1987, including harassing two former partners, burglary, assault, wounding with intent and knife possession.
In 2023 he was given a restraining order after being cleared of attempted murder when the victim – his landlady – failed to attend court. In 2013, Sabat was made subject to a non-molestation order of a former partner.
Arrest and comments after the killing
On being arrested on suspicion of Dickiesha's murder, he claimed he had killed before and said: "I'm gonna go on a murder spree", a court has heard. When told what he was being detained for, he said: "Not suspicion. Murder. Murder, yeah. I've murdered three people so far. I'm gonna go on 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."
Events leading to Dickiesha's death
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC said Sabat, from Balham, south London, and Dickiesha had previously been in a relationship and had known each other for many years as the defendant was brought up by her father. Two days after Sabat was released from prison, Dickiesha's children visited her and on returning home, told their father her "friend or cousin" had been there.
On October 22, Dickiesha told a neighbour Sabat was at her address and would not leave, and 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 woman was in distress and possibly being attacked, the court heard. Dickiesha was last seen on CCTV the next day.
Her secondary school-age children tried to visit on Sunday 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 concern on Monday October 27 and paramedics went to her flat to carry out a welfare check accompanied by her sister and mother.
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 Dickiesha 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.
Victim impact and sentencing
In a victim impact statement, Dickiesha'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." Each cut to her face was an expression of Sabat's "ballistic rage" and he left her on the bed "like a rag doll", she said.
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."
In mitigation, Alisdair Williamson KC said the defendant had lived "on the margins" with spells in jail and had struggled with his mental health, depression and anxiety. Following his arrest, Sabat said: "What have I done? I'm sorry."
Sentencing him, Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC said the victim, who was known as Keisha, was "adored" by her family and acknowledged the "terrible and devastating pain brought about by her death". A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Dickiesha Nurse who have suffered immeasurably. This was a horrific crime and it is right that this offender faces the full force of the law. The Probation Service has been carrying out a thorough investigation to see what happened in this case. We are determined to always have the prison places needed to keep dangerous offenders locked up. That is why we're building thousands more prison places and tagging offenders at record levels to track and manage those in the community."
