Petrit Lekaj, the Adelaide father who murdered his daughter Sabrina, revealed to be a convicted heroin dealer
Adelaide property developer Petrit Lekaj has formally pleaded guilty to murdering his daughter Sabrina – as court records reveal he has been imprisoned before.
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A father who admits murdering his daughter was jailed for heroin dealing more than two decades ago and has numerous drugs convictions, a judge has been told.
Petrit Lekaj, 49, appeared in the Supreme Court via-video link from the Lyell McEwin Hospital, where he formally pleaded guilty to murdering Sabrina, 20, at Kidman Park in July.
The pair was found next to each other inside her white 2002 Mercedes Benz on Kidman Ave, just 250m from the family’s western suburbs home.
Petrit Lekaj, a property developer and well-known member of Adelaide’s Albanian community, sustained serious abdominal injuries.
He was dragged out of a smashed car window and rushed to hospital, where he has been since.
On Monday, Ben Sale, for Lekaj, told the court that an independent psychiatric report was being prepared and delays were due to his client’s health.
It will be ready in time for a pre-sentence hearing in February next year, during which Sabrina’s family are due to give victim impact statements and prosecutors will provide details about the case.
Prosecutors also tendered an “antecedents report” detailing his criminal history, which were for drugs offences.
The report, which Justice Trish Kelly released to The Advertiser, details the father’s criminal convictions dating back to August 1996, when he was jailed for taking part in the sale of a controlled substance.
District Court records show Lekaj was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict the previous year of selling heroin.
Court documents show he appealed his sentence of 4 ½ years – with a non-parole period of 2 ½ years.
His minimum jail time was cut by six months, meaning he spent at least two years behind bars.
The antecedents report, prepared by SA Police, shows he was convicted and fined $200 in January 2007 of possessing cannabis along with a $100 fine for failing to store ammunition in a locked container.
Then, in September 2009, he was convicted and fined $900 for cultivating more than a prescribed number of cannabis plants and possessing drugs equipment.
Sabrina has been remembered as cherished, ambitious and academically gifted.
The well-loved and talented student, had studied classical piano performance and was completing a degree in medical imaging at the University of South Australia.
Justice Kelly remanded Lekaj in custody.
No family were in court yesterday.
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