Man released on licence murders ex-partner and claims he will go on a killing spree

Robert Sabat, 60, was sentenced at the Old Bailey for the murder of his former partner, 42-year-old Dickiesha Nurse, in Tulse Hill, south London. He had been released on licence from HMP Wandsworth on October 17, after serving a twelve-month term for a separate offence. Within a week, he entered Nurse’s flat, brandishing a red-handled knife and inflicted roughly eight stab wounds to her face, neck and hands, leading to her death at the scene.

When police detained him, Sabat claimed he had already killed three people and warned he would go on a "murder spree," asking to be sent back to prison. The prosecution highlighted his extensive criminal record dating back to 1987, including burglary, assault and knife offences, while the defence cited his depression, anxiety and marginal lifestyle. Nurse’s sister called him a menace to society, and her mother mourned the loss of a kind, loving daughter. The court noted the presence of a knife with the victim’s blood and prison records found in the flat.