I KILLED SCOTS GRAN
Romanian burglar admits he hit artist Valerie, 55, with a hammer
A BURGLAR yesterday admitted killing Scots gran Valerie Graves in the “Midsomer Murder” case.
Cristian Sabou’s shock confession in a Romanian court came after he agreed to be extradited to the UK to face trial for the hammer death in 2013.
CRISTIAN Sabou sat solemnly in the dock of a courtroom yesterday where he made his shock confession over the killing of Scots gran Valerie Graves.
The 27-year-old Romanian admitted that he attacked the artist in her bedroom during a burglary.
Valerie, who graduated from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, had lived in Melrose, Roxburghshire, before moving to Sussex – not long before her murder – to be close to family.
After he agreed to be extradited from Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, to face justice in Britain for the “Midsomer Murder” case, Sabou was asked if he had anything to say to Valerie’s family.
Still in the dock, and in front of judge Claudia Illies, he replied in English: “Yes, I want to apologise. I am really sorry.”
Then he added through a translator: “I was under the impression that there was no one in the house. I was 21,
“I was very young and immature. I did not have much money and it was my first time in England. She had been lying in bed when she woke up. She surprised me and I panicked.
“I never meant to kill anybody. I want my wife to know what happened. It was an accident. I thought everybody was away.”
Sabou admitted taking a claw hammer, to the home in the village of Bosham, West Sussex. During the 45-minute hearing in Cluj’s historic Palace of Justice, it emerged the suspect lived close to the £1.6million property where 55-year-old Valerie was killed with a
‘Midsomer Murder‘ suspect claims that killing of gran was an accident and he raided £1.6m house in search of money
hammer on December 30, 2013. Footage also emerged yesterday of Sabou’s arrest.
He is seen handcuffed outside his flat in Dej, about an hour from Cluj. He can be heard saying to police: “I tell you honestly I did not mean to hurt her. It was an accident.
“Somebody asked me to get into the house. It was about money.” Valerie was housesitting at the mansion with sister Jan, her partner Nigel Acres and mum Eileen while the owner was abroad. Police carried out one of the biggest voluntary mass DNA screenings ever. They took 2819 samples from males over 17 who visited, lived or worked in the village, a location for ITV drama Midsomer Murders. Sabou’s lawyer Cristina Radu said the suspect had been working nearby at the time of the killing. The breakthrough came when his ex-wife contacted Valerie’s family last year. She told them he had confessed to killing the mum-of-two. Detectives from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team were in court yesterday, and remain in Romania working with authorities. The judge agreed Sabou should return to Britain to face justice but must serve any sentence in his home country. Arrangements were being made for him to be returned to Britain in the next 10 days. A Sussex Police spokesman said last night: “He will then appear before a magistrates court before being sent for Crown Court trial.” Sabou’s girlfriend, Gabriela Granti, said: “He didn’t seem the kind of person who would kill someone.”