Sabajet Shuti, 31, of Upney Lane, Barking has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 27 years after a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday (June 27).
He had previously been found guilty of murder, possession of a knife and grievous bodily harm to a second man at the conclusion of a trial on April 14.
The court heard how Shuti fatally attacked 27-year-old Lumturi Zeqja outside a cafe in Church Lane, Leytonstone on October 16, 2022.
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Lumturi was standing with a friend outside the cafe when Shuti and his brother, Emirlion Shuti, arrived in two cars at around 10.40pm.
Lumturi Zeqja was murdered outside a cafe in Leytonstone in 2022 (Image: Metropolitan Police)
Emirlion began to drive one of these cars erratically along the road, and when asked to stop by Lumturi’s friend, he got out the car and thew a punch at the friend.
The situation escalated and Sabajet Shuti then pulled out a knife and stabbed Lumturi twice, and his friend once.
Despite the efforts of the emergency services, Lumturi died at the scene.
Both Shuti brothers then fled, and the following day Sabajet Shuti made plans to leave the UK – shaving off his beard before crossing the channel from Folkestone into France.
In October 2023, Shuti was arrested in Sweden and extradited back to the UK to face justice.
At this point, detectives had already arrested and charged Emirlion for his role in the attack, who was later found guilty of affray and handed a 20-month suspended sentence.
Detective Inspector Brett Hagen, who led the investigation, said Shuti went to “great lengths” to evade justice and “regularly” changed location to avoid arrest.
He said: “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.”
