A murderer who fled the UK in order to avoid justice has been jailed for life after being extradited from Sweden.
Sabajet Shuti, 31, stabbed 27-year-old Lumturi Zeqja outside a café in Leytonstone on October 16, 2022, before fleeing across the Channel in an attempt to evade arrest.
Yesterday (Friday, June 27), Shuti appeared at Southwark Crown Court where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years.
Shuti, of Barking, East London, was convicted of murdering Lumturi Zeqja along with carrying a knife and GBH relating to a second man, following a trial at the same court on April 14.
Shuti’s brother, Emirlion Shuti, 30, of Barking was found guilty of affray during the same trial. He received a 20-month sentence suspended for two years.
The court heard how Sabajet Shuti launched his fatal attack on the evening of October 16, 2022, in Church Lane, Leytonstone. Lumturi was standing outside a café with his friend when the Shuti brothers arrived at around 10.40pm in two cars.
The brothers went to a separate café but shortly afterwards, Emirlion Shuti returned to one of the cars and began to drive it erratically along the road, revving the engine and causing a disturbance.
Lumturi’s friend approached Emirlion and told him to stop but instead of doing this, Emirlion got out of the car and spoke to his brother and others who were outside the neighbouring café.
The situation took a turn for the worse after Emirlion Shuti threw a punch at Lumturi’s friend. During the clash, Sabajet Shuti came out with a knife and stabbed Lumturi twice, and his friend once.
Both Shuti brothers then fled the scene leaving Lumturi collapsed and dying on the pavement. The emergency services attended but despite their efforts, they could not save him. His friend was taken to hospital for emergency surgery and luckily survived the attack.
Detectives investigating the incident using CCTV and mobile phone footage were able to identify who was responsible.
The day after the murder, Sabajet Shuti made plans to leave the UK. He changed his appearance by shaving off his beard and then travelled to Folkestone before crossing the Channel into France. A warrant for his arrest was issued and around a year after the attack, on October 3, 2023, Sabajet Shuti was arrested in Sweden. He was extradited back to the UK to face the consequences of his actions.
In the intervening period, detectives had arrested and charged Emirlion Shuti for his role in the attack.
Detective Inspector Brett Hagen who led the investigation said: “Sabajet Shuti went to great lengths to try and evade justice, fleeing the country and regularly changing location in an attempt to avoid being arrested.
“However, his efforts were in vain as while he was on the run, our team of tenacious detectives had built a file of evidence and, working in liaison with international law enforcement colleagues, the net closed in on him.
“The level of violence Sabejet Shuti used was completely unnecessary – he went out that night armed with a knife so had clear intent of causing someone significant harm if the chance arose.
“His actions cost Lumturi Zeqja his life and has caused untold pain to his family and friends. While nothing I can say can alleviate their suffering, I hope they can take some small measure of comfort in seeing the Shuti brothers held to account for their actions.”
