By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-08 08:56:12 | Updated at 2026-10-08 10:01:54
1 hour ago
A violent offender who was released from prison the day after being sentenced stabbed his former partner to death and later told police he feared he would “go on a murder spree”.
Robert Sabat, 60, pleaded guilty to murdering 42-year-old mother-of-two Dickiesha Nurse at her flat in Tulse Hill, south London, in October last year.
Sabat, of Balham, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years after the Old Bailey heard he had a long history of offending, including convictions for burglary, assault, wounding with intent, knife possession and harassment.
He had been released on licence from HMP Wandsworth on October 17, 2025, one day after being sentenced to 12 months in prison for possession of a bladed article and harassment. He had been held on remand since May.
Under a change to automatic release rules introduced the previous month, Sabat was released after serving 40 per cent of his sentence rather than the previous 50 per cent requirement.
The court heard when Sabat was arrested on suspicion of Ms Nurse's murder, he told officers he had killed before and did not want to be released from custody.
He said: "I'm a murderer, I don't want to come back out, I wanna go to 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. I've murdered three people so far. I'm gonna go on a murder spree."
Robert Sabat, 60, pleaded guilty to murdering 42-year-old mother-of-two Dickiesha Nurse at her flat in south London last October
MET POLICE
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC said Sabat and Ms Nurse had been in a relationship and had known each other for many years, with Sabat having been brought up by her father.
Two days after Sabat's release, Ms Nurse's children visited her. When they returned home, they told their father that her “friend or cousin” had been at the property.
On October 22, Ms Nurse told a neighbour Sabat was at her address and would not leave. Another neighbour later saw her in the street shouting: "Get out of my house."
Two days later, a neighbour heard a single scream from the home, with Ms Nurse last seen on CCTV on October 25. Her children attempted to visit her the following day, but received no response.
Concerns were raised by her family on October 27. Paramedics entered the flat and found Sabat armed with a knife, charging at one of the crew members, forcing the ambulance staff and family members to withdraw and call police.
Armed officers later forced entry and used tasers to detain Sabat.
Ms Farrelly said Ms Nurse was found on a bed with a pillow over her face and multiple stab wounds to her face. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered about eight stab wounds, including injuries to the left side of her face, neck and hands.
Police recovered a knife bearing Ms Nurse's blood, a bag marked “HMP valuables” and prison records in Sabat's name.
In mitigation, Alisdair Williamson KC said Sabat had lived “on the margins”, with periods in prison and difficulties including depression and anxiety.
Ms Nurse's sister, Samantha Carvalho, described Sabat as a “menace to society”, and said the “heartlessness” of the killing was “impossible to comprehend”.
Her mother, Claudette McBean, described Ms Nurse as kind, loving and the “life and soul of the party”.
The court also heard that Sabat had been subject to a non-molestation order involving a former partner in 2013. In August 2023, he was given a restraining order after being cleared of attempted murder when the complainant, his landlady, failed to attend court.
Last week, the Sentencing Act 2026 replaced the release policy under which Sabat had been freed, with some prisoners now eligible for release after serving a third of their sentence.
