Killer Released Early Under New Sentencing Rules Jailed for Life After Stabbing Ex-Partner

A 60-year-old man who murdered his former partner just days after being freed from prison under revised early-release rules has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 17 years.

Robert Sabat, of Balham, south London, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to killing 42-year-old mother-of-two Dickiesha Nurse, whom he stabbed multiple times at her flat in Tulse Hill in October 2025. The court heard that Sabat had been released on licence from HMP Wandsworth on 17 October 2025 — only one day after he was sentenced to a 12-month jail term for possessing a bladed article and for harassment. He had been held on remand since May 2025, meaning he had already served a substantial portion of that sentence before it was formally imposed.

Under a change to automatic release dates introduced by the government in September 2025, Sabat was released after serving 40% of his sentence rather than the 50% that had previously been required. That policy was itself replaced last week by the Sentencing Act 2026, which allows some prisoners to be freed after serving just one-third of their term. The case has therefore placed renewed scrutiny on the pace and scale of early-release reforms, with critics arguing that public safety assessments must keep pace with legislative changes.

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, told their father that her "friend or cousin" had been at the address. By 22 October, Nurse told a neighbour that Sabat was inside her home and refused to leave, and another neighbour saw her in the street shouting: "Get out of my house."

On 24 October, a neighbour heard a single scream coming from the victim's home. Nurse was last captured on CCTV the following day. Her children attempted to visit on 26 October but received no answer when they knocked. Concerns were raised by her family on 27 October, prompting paramedics to enter the flat, where they were confronted by Sabat — armed with a knife — who charged at a paramedic, the court heard. The London Ambulance Service crew and family members withdrew and called police. Armed officers soon forced entry and used Tasers to detain Sabat.

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 from the flat, along with a bag marked "HMP valuables" and prison records in Sabat's name.

When arrested on suspicion of murder, Sabat claimed he had killed before and was planning a "murder spree". He told officers: "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." The remarks, recounted in court, underscored the defendant's apparent desire to return to custody and raised questions about the risk assessments conducted before his release.

In mitigation, Alisdair Williamson KC said Sabat had lived "on the margins" with spells in jail and had struggled with mental health problems, depression and anxiety. The court also heard that Sabat had convictions dating back to 1987, including burglary, assault, wounding with intent, knife possession and the harassment of a former partner. In 2013 he was made subject to a non-molestation order involving a former partner, and in August 2023 he was given 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 family's statements highlighted the loss of a mother of two whose life, they said, was taken without mercy or reason.

The case is likely to intensify debate over the government's sentencing and early-release framework. Supporters of the changes argue they are necessary to ease prison overcrowding and to focus custody on the most dangerous offenders. Critics counter that abbreviating sentences for repeat violent and knife offenders removes the time needed for rehabilitation and risk management, and can leave victims and their families exposed. Probation services, already stretched, face the challenge of supervising growing numbers of released prisoners with complex histories.

Legal commentators have noted that the facts of this case — an offender freed one day after sentencing for a knife offence, who then killed within a week — will feature prominently in any future review of release policy. The Sentencing Act 2026, which took effect only last week, may now come under fresh political pressure, particularly if further cases emerge in which prisoners released at the one-third mark go on to commit serious offences.

For victims' groups, the outcome is both a measure of justice and a warning. They point to the pattern of prior convictions, restraining orders and harassment allegations, arguing that warning signs were missed or inadequately acted upon. The Metropolitan Police and the Prison Service have not yet indicated whether any internal reviews will be conducted into the supervision and release of Sabat, though such reviews are routine in high-profile cases.

Sabat will serve a minimum of 17 years before being considered for parole. The sentencing judge's decision reflects the gravity of the attack, the vulnerability of the victim, and the defendant's long history of violence and harassment. Whether the case prompts legislative or operational change remains to be seen, but for Dickiesha Nurse's family, the focus will remain on a life lost and a sentence that, in their view, cannot undo the harm done.

Related topics listed by the source include London and Balham.