A man who drove to London in order to attack a stranger has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years for the murder of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa.
Koci Selamaj, 36, killed Ms Nessa in a park in Kidbrooke, south-east London in September 2021.
CCTV footage captured him striking the 28-year-old over the head until she was unconscious, before carrying her away.
He then strangled her, removed some of her clothes and tried to hide her body.
Selamaj, a garage worker from Eastbourne in East Sussex, travelled to London on 17 September intending to assault a random woman after he was spurned by his estranged wife, the Old Bailey heard.
Ms Nessa, who taught a year one class at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford, was found nearly 24 hours later near a community centre in the park.
Days later, Selamaj, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested in the seaside town and pleaded guilty to murder in February.
On Friday, he refused to come to the Old Bailey and was sentenced in his absence.
Mr Justice Sweeney described the “savage” attack as sexually motivated. He said Ms Nessa was the “wholly blameless victim of an absolutely appalling murder which was entirely the fault of the defendant”.
It is believed Ms Nessa had only gone through the park as she was running late and this was the quickest route to the bar where she had been due to meet a friend.
Grainy footage showed a hooded man passing her, looking back at her, and running toward her before hitting her over the head 34 times in quick succession.
He used such force that parts of the weapon – a metal traffic triangle – shattered and fell to the ground, the Met Police said.
Ten minutes after dragging Ms Nessa away, Selamaj reappeared on camera and began picking up pieces of the murder weapon from the floor. He also used tissues to clean the bench where part of the attack had taken place.
Police said he appeared to be “calm and collected” on his arrest.
On being cautioned through a translator, the Albanian national said: “What will happen if I open up now and say everything?”
Lewis Power QC said his client Selamaj had provided no explanation for why he killed Ms Nessa, adding: “He simply accepts that he did it.”
The judge said it was “cowardly” of the defendant to refuse to attend his sentencing but said he had no power to force him.