Vigilance can now report that a man was today been found guilty of strangling a 16-year-old girl to death and dumping her body on wasteground.
Zakk Sackett, 20 (6.09.90) of Outram Place, N1 was convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering his friend Jessie Wright whose body was found on 4 March 2010. He has been sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 25 years.
Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said:"Sackett has lied throughout this case in an effort to save his own skin. He couldn't care less about what he did to Jessie, as can be seen from the fact he sold her phone within minutes of murdering her.”
DCI Macdonald added: "She was supposed to be his friend but when she made it plain she was not interested in a physical relationship, he murdered her during the course of a sexual attack.
"He is a coward, a danger to women, and I'm pleased for Jessie's family and her friends that they've seen him get what he deserves."
Details of the case
Police were called at 15:32hrs on 4 March 2010 to reports of a body found in a yard adjacent to a block of flats in Outram Place, N1.
Jessie Wright, who lived with her grandmother in Caledonian Road, Islington, was confirmed dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as compression of the neck.
Sackett and Jessie were friends and on the night she died were riding around the local area together on a moped at approx. 01:00hrs.
At approx. 02:00hrs a resident in the flats was woken by her dogs barking and heard raised voices - one female, one male - coming from the direction of the car park.
There was an argument followed by the female screaming before it went silent.
At 02:12hrs Sackett was seen on CCTV arriving at a local 24-hr grocery shop and selling Jessie's Samsung mobile to the shopkeeper.
At approx. 15:15hrs on 4 March 2010 a team of surveyors arrived at Outram Place to carry out some work and saw Jessie's body in an enclosed area of wasteland.
DNA tests on samples taken showed a match for Sackett's semen.
Jessie's failure to return home had caused her family and friends concern and several had contacted Sackett to see if he knew where she was. He told them varying accounts that Jessie had argued with her boyfriend and taken a train to see him.
He was arrested on 5 March 2010 and charged two days later.