Sabina Nessa killed while taking shortcut she was usually too scared to take

Primary school teacher Sabina Nessa was murdered on a shortcut she was normally too scared to take.The 28-year-old was late for dinner with a friend so took the shortest route through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London.

She had no idea Albanian-born sex predator Koci Selamaj was "skulking in the shadows". He had driven more than 80 miles from his home in the Sussex seaside town of Eastbourne.The murder was captured by a CCTV camera, but the black and white image was too grainy to identify hoody-wearing Selamaj.

He ran up behind Sabina and hit her on the head 34 times with a metal and plastic driver’s warning triangle, leaving her unconscious and slumped over a park bench.

He then carried her up a grass bank and disappeared from view. The police believe he strangled Sabina and removed her underwear before returning to the bench 10 minutes later to pick up debris from the shattered triangle.

Selamaj then moved out of view of the camera for a further 10 minutes before returning to the bench to wipe it.

During his frenzied attack, the CCTV camera caught flashes from the reflective surface of the triangle.

Later, a police officer viewing more footage spotted a similar but brief flash in another corner of the park giving detectives a vital clue about his route.

Sabina’s body was found a day after she disappeared, covered in long grass. She was identified from her passport in her jacket.

Her dress was pulled up, her underwear was missing, and her bra was exposed, leading detectives to conclude she was the victim of a sexually motivated killing.

On the day of the murder, Selamaj earlier checked into a £350-a-night room at Eastbourne’s Grand Hotel, where his wife worked.

The couple were separated but Selamaj invited her into his car where he the gave the impression he wanted to have sex on the back seat. She said no.

Hotel staff on reception were said to be "uncomfortable with his behaviour" when he checked in and suspicious enough to call the police, but no action was taken.

Selamaj’s wife later told detectives she was a victim of domestic abuse, including three occasions when he tried to throttle her, but she did not report the attacks.

Selamaj drove his Nissan Micra to Brighton before heading to Kidbrooke. Police say to the best of their knowledge it was his first visit to that part of London and they have no idea why he chose it.

They used CCTV footage to build up a picture of the killer’s route to and from the murder scene.

Selamaj was finally identified after Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras revealed the registrations of 60 Nissan Micras using the A2.

Security camera video from a Sainsbury’s close to Cator Park also showed him buying a rolling pin before the attack. It was found in the boot of his car and police believe he planned to just it as a weapon until he discovered the heavier warning triangle.

He was arrested a week after Sabina’s murder.

The petrol station worker had no previous convictions but after being locked in a cell, was seen holding his head in his hands and pacing up and down.

After being cautioned he asked through an interpreter: "What will happen if I open up now and say everything?"