Isle of Dogs woman gets life for Canning Town killing

A YOUNG woman from the Isle of Dogs has been sentenced to life imprisonment after killing a young Italian man in Canning Town – in a frenzied attack in which he was stabbed 36 times.

Hasna Begum, 25, of Byng Street, E14, knew her victim – Pietro Sanna, 23, of Ravenscroft Close, E16. She claimed that they had had a relationship. She went to his home, a multi occupancy house, early in the morning of 23rd June – wearing a blonde wig. She knocked on a number of doors, asking neighbour where he was. When she found him, she attacked him – taking his phone away with her.

Murder victim Pietro Sanna

Pietro’s body was not found straight away. It was three days later that Begum rang Pietro’s brother, telling him to go to Pietro’s address. The brother went there – and make the dreadful discovery of his brother’s body, in a horrific murder scene. The emergency services were called, but it was far too late and Pietro was prounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death was confirmed, at a post mortem, to be the stab wounds.

The Metropolitan Police Homicide and Major Crime Command began a murder investigation and arrested Begum, on suspicion of murder, the day after the body was found. She admitted having gone to Pietro’s address but then said that he had become aggressive towards her, and she had acted in self defence.

Further investigation revealed that Begum had threatened a woman she believed was dating Pietro. She had set up fake accounts on instagram a few days before she killed Pietro which were used to threaten the woman, whom she had also threatened in person.

Police also identified a clinic that Begum had attended after the attack for treatment to her thumb. It is believed that this injury was caused when she attacked her victim. Police also found that Begum had telephoned Pietro six times after the attack – although she had taken his phone away with her. Police believe that this was an attempt by her to mislead police.

Begum was found guilty last week, at the end of a trial at the Inner London Crown Court. A statement was read out at Court from the victim’s mother, Valentina Coiana, who lives in Italy. Begum was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment, with an order that she serve a minimum of 20 years.

DCI Gary Holmes, who led the investigation, said, “This was a callous, brutal and merciless attack on a young man who had his whole life ahead of him. Begum, who stands at 4ft 11ins tall and worked as a store assistant, had never previously been arrested by police; the frenzied brutal nature of the attack must have been entirely unexpected by the victim. Her behaviour before and after the attack was very conceited and her claim of self-defence was rightly dismissed by the jury. I hope today’s verdict goes some way to helping the victim’s family move on from what has been a harrowing and painful period.”

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