Robert Sabat jailed for life, minimum 17 years, for murdering ex-partner days after prison release

Mixed · 2Robert Sabat, 60, of Balham, south London, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey on Wednesday 7 October 2026 for the murder of his former partner Dickiesha Nurse, 42, a mother of two, at her flat in Tulse Hill, south London, in October 2025. 1 2 Mixed · 2He must serve a minimum of 17 years; the Daily Mirror gives the term as 17 years and one month, while the BBC says 17 years. 1 2 Mixed · 2Sabat had been released on licence from HMP Wandsworth on 17 October 2025, after being sentenced to 12 months for possession of a bladed article and harassment; he had been on remand since May 2025. 1 2

Centre · 1The BBC reports he had served 40% of the sentence rather than the previous 50%, in line with the government's change to automatic release dates that began the month before; it adds that the Sentencing Act 2026 replaced that policy last week, so some prisoners can now be released after a third of their sentence. 1 Left · 1The Mirror says the earlier conviction related to a 1 May 2025 incident in which Sabat banged on an ex-girlfriend's door armed with two knives. 2 Mixed · 2Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC told the court Sabat and Nurse had been in a relationship and had known each other for many years, as he was brought up by her father. 1 2

Mixed · 2On 22 October Nurse 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 from her home. She was last seen on CCTV on 25 October. 1 2 Mixed · 2After her family raised concerns on 27 October, paramedics went to the flat for a welfare check; Sabat charged at them with a red-handled knife, the court heard. The crew and family withdrew, and armed officers forced entry and used Tasers to detain him. 2 1 Mixed · 2Officers found Nurse on a bed with a pillow over her face and multiple stab wounds to the face. A post-mortem found about eight stab wounds, including to her face, neck and hands. Police recovered a bloodied knife, a bag marked "HMP valuables" and prison records in Sabat's name. 1 2

Mixed · 2On arrest Sabat said he had killed before and planned a "murder spree", asking to be sent back to prison: "I've been let out a week... I killed before and got away with it." The Mirror also reports he later said: "What have I done? I'm sorry." 1 2 Mixed · 2The court heard he had convictions dating back to 1987, including burglary, assault, wounding with intent, knife possession and harassment of an ex-partner. He was subject to a non-molestation order in 2013 and received a restraining order in August 2023 after being cleared of attempted murder when his landlady failed to attend court. 1 2 Centre · 1In mitigation, Alisdair Williamson KC said Sabat had lived "on the margins" with spells in jail and had struggled with his mental health, depression and anxiety. 1

Mixed · 2Nurse's sister Samantha Carvalho called Sabat a "menace to society" and said the "heartlessness" of the killing was "impossible to comprehend"; her mother Claudette McBean described her as kind, loving and the "life and soul of the party". Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC said Nurse, known as Keisha, was "adored" by her family. 1 2 Left · 1A Ministry of Justice spokesperson called it "a horrific crime" and said the Probation Service has been carrying out a thorough investigation into what happened. The Mirror places the case among other killings by men previously bailed or released on licence, including Zara Aleena, killed in June 2022 by Jordan McSweeney nine days after his release. 2