Koci Selamaj, 36, has accepted responsibility for the death of the schoolteacher Sabina Nessa in London in September, but has pleaded not guilty to her murder during a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey. Nessa, 28, was found dead in Cator park, Kidbrooke, south-east London, on 18 September, a day after leaving her home to meet a friend in a nearby bar. The prosecution told an earlier hearing that Nessa was struck with a 60cm weapon by someone believed to be a stranger. Selamaj, from Eastbourne in East Sussex, appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing on Thursday. He entered a formal plea of not guilty to a single count of the murder of Nessa. The court was told Selamaj accepted responsibility for her death. The judge, Mr Justice Wall, said the facts of the plea and Selamaj’s acceptance that “he is the person responsible for the death” could be reported by the media. The body of Nessa, who taught a year 1 class at Rushey Green primary school in Catford, was found covered with leaves near a community centre in the park. Selamaj, an Albanian national who worked as a garage mechanic, appeared in court to enter a plea and to set a timetable for the trial. Members of Nessa’s family attended and sat in court a few metres from the defendant, who was helped by an Albanian interpreter. Selamaj, wearing a face mask and grey T-shirt, spoke to confirm his identity and to enter his plea to the charge of murder. He was arrested in Eastbourne by officers from the Metropolitan police investigating Nessa’s death, and later charged with her murder. A further pre-trial hearing was set for 25 February 2022, and reports are awaited. A trial date was set for June 2022 and is scheduled to last two weeks.