TEACHER TRAGEDY
‘Brilliant’ teacher, 28, murdered ‘by stranger’ in park ‘had been on a night out with pals’
A "BRILLIANT" teacher found murdered inside a busy park was wearing sparkly boots and a dress, sparking fears she was targeted after a night out with pals.
Cops believe that Sabina Nessa, 28, was killed by a stranger who then dumped her body in Cator Park, Kidbrooke, South East London on Saturday.
6
6
Officers made the grim discovery in Cator Park almost 24 hours after the teacher had been murdered.
The Met say her body was dumped in a busy park that is normally packed with joggers and walkers.
A man, aged in his 40s, arrested in Lewisham on suspicion of murder has been released under investigation pending further enquiries.
Fiona Oletu, 23, a paralegal who lives nearby said: “One of my neighbours is the guy who found the body.
“She was wearing sparkly boots and a slip dress, so he thought she had come from a night out."
Meanwhile Sabina's devastated father has been left a “broken man” after her death, neighbours say.
Her family have been left devastated by her death, with her dad going door to door to inform neighbours in Sandy, Beds, of the tragedy.
One neighbour told the Evening Standard: “He looked in total shock, like a broken man... He said 'my daughter has been killed'.
Most read in The Sun
“He looked terrible as if the blood had been drained from him. We have seen her grow up.
“She lived in London but regularly came back. They are a close family.”
Another said: “A lot of family and friends have been going in and out of their house and our hearts go out to them. The family are lovely.'”
Friends of the tragic teacher have also paid tribute to their “beautiful friend” with flowers and a card left at the scene.
The message read: “Dear Sabina, I miss you so very much! RIP my beautiful friend, Anneli.”
Miss Nessa, one of four sisters, lived in London and worked as a Year 1 teacher at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford, South East London.
Devastated Lisa Williams, its headmistress, said: "We are devastated by Sabina's tragic death.
"She was a brilliant teacher, she was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils.
"She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad.
He looked terrible as if the blood had been drained from him
Family friend
"As a school we are supporting each other through this very difficult time, and we will be providing specialist support to those who need it."
Miss Nessa was also able to teach English as a foreign language, having gained the qualification from Cambridge.
She had studied sociology at Greenwich University, and went on to complete a teaching postgraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire.
Cops are keeping an open mind regarding the murder and are looking at all possible lines of inquiry.
Search teams in blue overalls were today seen scouring a grassy mound for evidence where the body was found, and a series of crime scenes are being looked at by officers.
'COVERED IN LEAVES'
One resident believes that the teacher was on a night out, and was discovered covered in leaves by a dog walker.
Fiona added: “One of my neighbours was walking his dog on the other side of the path and thought he saw a potato sack in the bushes by the community centre.
“He crossed over and said it was strange because there was someone passed out covered in leaves.
“So he got down and started talking to her, because he thought she had maybe got drunk and passed out.
"He brushed the leaves off and saw some blood and that’s when he realised something was wrong.
“She did not have a pulse and wasn’t breathing. His phone had died so he had to borrow someone else’s and then called the police.”
LOST NECKLACE
A woman looking for a lost gold necklace in the park sounded the alarm her body was discovered by a dog walker.
The woman's 80-year-old grandmother, who gave her name as Roema, said: "I gave my granddaughter a designer gold necklace for passing her biochemistry exam.
"She was going out to a party, but then came back half an hour later and said she had lost her necklace. So she went out to look for it in the park with her brother and sister.
"I didn't understand what was going on, but they told me a dog walker had called over and asked to call the police."
Local resident John O'Connor, 35, who works in recruitment, said: "I was picking up a delivery and this woman said her niece had found the body.
"She was looking for her gold necklace which she'd been given for her graduation or something like that.
"She'd lost it in the park and was scouring the area when she saw a heel - maybe she meant a stiletto.
"That's why she came to the concierge, to ask if anyone had handed it in. There's CCTV everywhere around here so I don't see how this guy got away.”
I guess she must have been hidden somewhere in the bushes because nobody saw her
Resident
A 35-year-old woman who lives nearby said: "It's a bit scary because that is my daily walk and it happened during the day - apparently on Friday.
"I was running through the park on Saturday morning - there's a park run with about 200 people.
"I guess she must have been hidden somewhere in the bushes because nobody saw her."
Witnesses driving past the scene of the crime around the time the body was found spotted an elderly man with blood on his face, but are not sure whether it was related.
A 35-year-old woman called Anna said: "I was driving past the park on Saturday around 5.30pm.
"There was an elderly man propped up against a wooden post and people were helping him out because he had blood on his face.
"I don't know if that was related at all, but maybe he had tried to intervene or something like that.
"There was a sufficient amount of blood - we thought he might have fallen off a bike, but there was no bike.
"Then we read the news we thought he might have had an unfortunate encounter with the attacker."
SHOCKING INCIDENT
A vigil is understood to have been organised for Friday night to remember the teacher as cops continue their investigation.
A post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary on Monday, September 20, was inconclusive.
Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with Sabina’s family and friends following this shocking incident, and we will continue to provide our support to them as the investigation progresses.
“We know this incident will be worrying to those who live and work in the community.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"Over the next few days, they can expect to see extra high-visibility patrols both in and around the crime scene as well as other open spaces across the boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich.
“As always, we are also working very closely with both local authorities to speak to our communities to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep people safe.”
6
6
6
6
Topics