Man jailed for Leytonstone murder after detectives extradite him from Sweden

A man who fled the UK in an attempt to evade justice has been jailed for murder.

Sabajet Shuti – 31 (04.07.93) of Upney Lane, Barking was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 27 years following a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 27 June.

Shuti had been found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Lumturi Zeqja, along with possession of a knife and GBH relating to a second man at the conclusion of a trial at the same court on 14 April.

Shuti’s brother, Emirlion Shuti - 30 (13.12.94) of Blake Avenue, 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 16 October 2022 in Church Lane, Leytonstone.

Lumturi was standing outside a café with his friend when the Shuti brothers arrived at around 22:40hrs in two cars. The brothers went to a separate café but shortly after 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 quickly escalated after Emirlion Shuti threw a punch at Lumturi’s friend. During the ensuing altercation Sabajet Shuti produced 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 thankfully survived the attack.

Detectives began to piece together evidence and from accessing 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 3 October 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.”