News
A man who brutally murdered a woman 30 years ago is facing a life sentence after Met scientists venerable recent DNA tactics on a single hair left at the scene to present he was the killer.
The innovative work on a hair chanced on on a ring faded by Marina Koppel, stabbed at least 140 times at her Westminster flat in 1994, has finally brought to justice Sandip Patel.
Patel, 51, (26.08.1972) of Queens Court docket, Finchley Road, NW8 was chanced on responsible of murder at the Customary Bailey on Thursday, 15 February.
He appears for sentencing at the same courtroom on Friday, 16 February.
Operational Forensic Manager Dan Chester, is the Met’s Forensic Lead for Wintry Case Murder Investigations. He said “Unsolved historic murders can be among some of essentially the most complicated and challenging cases for police to solve. On the opposite hand, today’s consequence gives an example the place forensic science, more recent applied sciences and collaborative working practices have had a obvious impact in bringing a brutal killer to justice.
“This was a great team effort with the forensic scientists, fingerprint experts, the forensic manager and the investigating team all playing their part in solving Marina’s murder.
“Forensic tactics and applied sciences are constantly evolving, and the police will continue to evaluate serious unsolved cases and, the place imaginable, pursue recent opportunities to enable both the prosecution of these responsible and to exonerate the harmless. This involves cases specifically related to violence against females.”
Marina, who was 39 at the time of her death, lived and worked in her Westminster flat at some point of the week and frolicked together with her husband in Northampton at some point of the weekend. It was an unconventional relationship as Marina worked as a masseuse and occasional sex employee, however the 2 were happily married. She was also a loving mother and worked hard to send money home to her family in Columbia, together with her two young individuals who were being cared for by her family there.
On Monday, 8 August 1994, Marina’s husband became bowled over when he may well not secure maintain of her for some time and so travelled to her flat to check she was ok. When he arrived at the flat, his worst fears were confirmed when he chanced on Marina’s body unresponsive and coated in blood.
He alerted police immediately who conducted an in-depth analysis of the crime scene gathering crucial proof, together with the ring she was wearing. All via their search, they also chanced on a plastic searching bag which had Patel’s fingerprints on it. On the opposite hand, Patel, who was 21 at the time, worked in the store the place the bag had come from and so the presence of his fingerprints was not considered significant proof, and for many years the case went unsolved.
In 2008 additional items were examined, among them a ring which had a hair attached. Fast forward to 2022, and the sensitive tactics available allowed for a DNA profile to be obtained from the hair on the ring. It was at this stage that the hair was linked to Patel, whose DNA was now on the database after he committed Actual Bodily Harm in 2012. The case was taken on by Specialist Crime detectives who continued to gather proof.
Patel was arrested on 19 January 2023 on suspicion of Marina’s murder. Fingerprint experts then also matched his footprints to some bloodstained bare footprints that were chanced on at the crime scene. This, alongside the DNA on the hair, the fingerprints on the plastic bag and the fact that a bank card belonging to Marina, stolen at the time from her flat, was venerable at a cash point honest half a mile from his home almost immediately after the murder, was ample to convince the jury of his guilt.
Marina’s family participants were left distraught after her death and, sadly, her husband died in 2005 prior to he saw her killer brought to justice.
Her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mary and Martin Koppel, paid tribute to Marina with the following words:
“Marina Koppel, our sister-in-law, was an extremely smart, highly provocative and charismatic person, who saw factual in her family and all individuals she met.
“She wanted to give them the total lot they mandatory, especially her two young individuals and nephew who grew up in Columbia.
“Her family and chums would have been in a significantly better place because of her abundance of energy for all times had she not died.
“Marina was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a loving aunt, a daughter-in-law and a sister-in-law who was worthy loved by all of us as she loved all of us. Had Marina lived, all of the lives of her family and chums would have been enriched and additional evolved. We have all suffered these many, many years because we misplaced Marina so early in life”.
Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, Head of the Specialist Casework team for Central Specialist Crime said:
“We are so pleased that finally Marina’s killer has been brought to justice. It is totally sad that her husband did not are living to search this day.
“Our ideas and sympathies are with Marina’s family and chums and we hope that today’s verdict will bring some closure for them.
“Although Patel has been convicted for the brutal murder of Marina, we may never know the reasons for his actions on that day. Unsolved murder cases are never closed and it is due to the trends of forensic tactics we have been able to identify the suspect for this barbaric crime.”
