Released Killer Who Begged to Be Jailed Again Sentenced to Life for Stabbing Ex-Partner

A 60-year-old man who fatally stabbed his former partner just days after being freed from prison under revised early-release rules has been handed a life sentence, with a judge ordering he serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars.

Robert Sabat admitted murdering Dickiesha Nurse, a 42-year-old mother of two, at her flat in Tulse Hill, south London, in October 2025. The Old Bailey heard that he had walked free from HMP Wandsworth on 17 October 2025 — the day after he was sentenced to a 12-month term for possessing a bladed article and harassment.

Under changes to automatic release dates introduced by the government the previous month, Sabat was freed after serving only 40% of that sentence, rather than the 50% threshold that had previously applied. He had been held on remand since May 2025, meaning his time in custody before sentencing counted towards his release.

The case has thrust the government's sentencing reforms into the spotlight. Last week, the Sentencing Act 2026 replaced the earlier policy, allowing some prisoners to be released after serving as little as one third of their term. Critics argue that such measures, designed to ease chronic overcrowding in England's prisons, carry inherent risks when applied to offenders with histories of violence.

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC told the court that Sabat and Nurse had been in a relationship and had known each other for many years, as the defendant had been brought up by her father. Two days after his release, Nurse's children visited her and, on returning home, mentioned that her "friend or cousin" had been at the address.

On 22 October, Nurse told a neighbour that Sabat was at her flat and refused to leave. Another neighbour overheard her shouting in the street: "Get out of my house." Two days later, a neighbour reported hearing a single scream coming from the victim's home.

Nurse was last captured on CCTV on 25 October. Her children attempted to visit the following day but received no answer when they knocked. Family members raised concerns on 27 October, prompting paramedics to enter the flat — where, the court heard, Sabat charged at an ambulance crew member while armed with a knife.

The London Ambulance Service crew and relatives retreated from the property and called police. Armed officers soon forced entry and used Tasers to detain Sabat. Inside, officers discovered Nurse lying 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 identified around eight stab wounds, including injuries to the left side of her face, neck and hands. Police recovered a knife bearing Nurse's blood, a bag marked "HMP valuables" and prison records in Sabat's name from the flat.

When arrested on suspicion of murder, Sabat told officers he had killed before and was planning a "murder spree." 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."

In mitigation, Alisdair Williamson KC said Sabat had lived "on the margins" with spells in jail and had struggled with mental health issues, depression and anxiety. The court also heard he had convictions dating back to 1987, including burglary, assault, wounding with intent, knife possession and harassment of a former partner. In 2013 he was made subject to a non-molestation order involving a previous partner, and in August 2023 he received a restraining order after being cleared of attempted murder when the complainant — his landlady — failed to attend court.

In a victim impact statement, 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 remembered her daughter as kind, loving and the "life and soul of the party."

The Ministry of Justice has faced mounting questions over whether risk assessments for prisoners due for early release are robust enough, particularly in domestic abuse cases where victims may be uniquely vulnerable. Campaigners have long warned that expedited release can remove the protective buffer that prison time provides for those targeted by violent ex-partners.

Sentencing Sabat to life with a minimum term of 17 years, the judge underscored the gravity of a killing committed within days of a state-sanctioned release. Legal commentators note that while life sentences with minimum terms are standard for murder convictions in England and Wales, the case is likely to intensify debate over the balance between reducing prison populations and safeguarding the public.