Man Jailed After Abseiling Into Fulham Woman's Home To Attack Her
Receives lengthy sentence after leaving victim for dead in Seagrave Road flat
Rigging used to gain access to the flat on Seagrave Road
A man has been jailed for what police have describe as a brutal attack on a woman in Fulham which left her in a coma for nine days
Fatmir Stafasani, a 49-year-old Albanian man, abseiled into his victim’s home on Seagrave Road back in March of this year.
The police were called to the property on the afternoon of 20 March were they found, Blerta Sulaj, a woman in her forties with serious head injuries. She was rushed to St Mary's Hospital for life-saving treatment.
Fatmir Stafasani
Examination of the scene by officers from Hammersmith & Fulham revealed that the attacker had gained entry to the roof of the block, set up a makeshift climbing rig and abseiled into the victim's flat via a skylight. Here he waited for approximately an hour for the woman, who was known to him, to return at around 2.30pm before bludgeoning her with a crowbar, stabbing her with a knife and leaving her for dead. She managed to crawl to a neighbouring flat and raise the alarm before falling unconscious. She had suffered five skull fractures, a fractured hand and fingers, and lacerations to her hand. She was taken to hospital and spent nine days in a coma. She was subsequently discharged but continues to suffer physical and emotional injury as a result of the attack.
CCTV captured Stafasani outside flat with crowbar
The subsequent investigation established that nothing had been stolen from the house. Analysis of CCTV, witness accounts, monitoring of vehicle movements using automatic number-plate recognition technology and scrutinising mobile phone data allowed the police to identify Stafasani before his victim awoke from her coma but she confirmed that he was her attacker when she recovered sufficiently to give an interview with the police. Stafasani's DNA would later be found at the scene. Ms Sulaj had met Stafasani in Albania when she was working there as a nurse. She says that he had become increasing obsessed with her. She had moved to get away from him but somehow he managed to track her down at her new home in Fulham.
He was arrested in Brent on 11 May and was charged the following day with attempted murder and aggravated burglary.
He stood trial at Southwark Crown Court and was found guilty on Tuesday, 21 November remaining silent through his trial.
He was sentenced on Thursday, 23 November, to a total of 18 years' imprisonment for the attempted murder and 11 years' imprisonment for the aggravated burglary.
The judge also issued Stafasani with an extended licence of four years due to him being deemed a dangerous offender.
Detective Inspector Damian Ash, the senior investigating officer, said, "This was a particularly heinous attack in the victim's own home, which involved careful and premeditated planning by Stafasani.
"He abseiled into her flat and lay in wait before carrying out a vicious attack and leaving her for dead.
"We do not know the motive behind this attack. Fatmir Stafasani has remained silent throughout, and even now has shown no emotion.
"I'd like to pay tribute to Detective Constable Alex Rum who worked tirelessly on the case, to the medical staff at St Mary's Hospital who no doubt saved the victim's life and most of all to the victim herself who showed great courage throughout this investigation.
"The investigation team and I hope she can continue to make the best possible recovery."
November 23, 2017