London man jailed for life after murdering former partner in her home
Robert Sabat, a 60-year-old with multiple violence convictions, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years and one month for the murder of his former partner Dickiesha Nurse. The killing raises serious questions about prisoner release policies, as Sabat had been freed from Wandsworth prison on 17 October 2025 after serving less than half of a 12-month sentence for knife possession and harassment under Labour's early release scheme designed to ease prison overcrowding. Within days of his release, he moved into Ms Nurse's home in Tulse Hill, south London, refused to leave despite her pleas, and murdered the 42-year-old mother of two between 21 and 28 October.
Ms Nurse called police on 22 October saying Sabat would not leave, but then told officers they were not needed. When family members grew concerned after being unable to reach her on 26 October, a welfare check was arranged. Upon entry, Sabat charged at ambulance crews and family members with a knife; armed officers used a Taser and found her body inside. He had prior convictions for two counts of knife possession and one count of harassment from a May 2025 incident.
- Man released early from prison murdered former partner within days under Labour's scheme.
- Robert Sabat, 60, sentenced to life with minimum 17 years and one month.
- Victim Dickiesha Nurse, 42, mother of two, killed in her Tulse Hill home.
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Robert Sabat, a 60-year-old man with a history of violence, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his former partner Dickiesha Nurse. Ms Nurse was a 42-year-old mother of two who was found dead in her home in Tulse Hill, south London.
Sabat had been released from Wandsworth prison on 17 October 2025 after serving less than half of a 12-month sentence for knife possession and harassment. His early release was part of a government scheme intended to reduce prison overcrowding. He had multiple prior convictions for violence and knife possession.
The murder has prompted scrutiny of the government's early release scheme. The case raises questions about whether it is safe to release prisoners with violent pasts and what safeguards are needed to protect vulnerable people in the community.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Early release schemes address a genuine crisis in prison overcrowding, which itself poses serious risks to security and rehabilitation. Whilst this case is tragic, the scheme's logic remains sound: most early releases do not result in serious reoffending, and releasing suitable candidates can prevent the documented harms of overcrowded conditions. The failure here appears to centre on risk assessment of this particular individual rather than the principle of managed early release; properly implemented, such schemes represent a defensible balance between finite resources and public safety within an overburdened system.
The case against
An individual with multiple convictions for knife possession and harassment—direct precursors to serious violence—should never have been released early under any scheme prioritising cost over safety. The victim herself contacted police days before her murder, indicating the danger was apparent. If prison capacity requires reform, that should mean expanding facilities or reconsidering sentence lengths, not releasing those with established violent patterns based on demonstrably flawed risk assessment. Public protection, particularly from repeat violent offenders, must be the paramount consideration.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Knifeman who murdered former partner in her own home after ‘targeting’ her and moving in following release from prison jailed for life”.