When he was arrested on suspicion of Nurse’s 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.”
Outlining the facts of the case, prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC said Sabat and Nurse had been in a relationship and had known each other for many years as the defendant was brought up by her father.
Two days after Sabat was released from prison, Nurse’s children visited her and on returning home, told their father her “friend or cousin” had been there.
On 22 October, Nurse told a neighbour Sabat was at her address and would not leave. Another neighbour saw her in the street shouting: “Get out of my house.”
Two days later, a neighbour heard a single scream coming from the victim’s home, the court heard.
Nurse was last seen on CCTV on 25 October. Her children tried to visit the following day but got no response when they knocked on her door.
Her family raised concerns on 27 October and paramedics entered the flat, where the defendant, armed with a knife, charged at a paramedic, the court heard.
The London Ambulance Service crew and family members withdrew from the property and police were called, Farrelly said.
Soon after, armed officers forced entry to the property and used Tasers as they detained Sabat.
Farrelly said officers found Nurse on a bed with a pillow over her face and with multiple stab wounds to the face. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination found she had sustained about eight stab wounds, including to the left side of her face, neck and hands.