SA Employment Tribunal awards compensation to police officer traumatised by death of Sabrina Lekaj

A police officer who was the last person to see Sabrina Lekaj alive before the 20-year-old was brutally murdered by her father says she feels responsible, a tribunal has heard.

A police officer who was the last person to see Sabrina Lekaj alive before she was brutally murdered by her father blames herself for the young woman’s death, a Tribunal has ruled.

The officer, who had almost 20 years on the force, suffered a psychiatric injury after being told that Sabrina had been murdered shortly after leaving the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was being tested for alcohol and drugs following a minor crash.

In a judgment published this week SA Employment Tribunal auxiliary deputy president Magistrate Jodie Carrel held that the psychiatric injury occurred as a direct result of Sabrina’s murder.

The officer was investigating a car crash on July 21, 2019 where the driver was suspected of being under influence of drugs or alcohol.

The investigation led her to Sabrina’s home where the young woman was with her parents and brother.

The officer spoke to Sabrina and her parents Petrit and Romina before taking her to the QEH for a blood test.

Sabrina Lekaj, who was murdered by her father at Kidman Park in 2019. Picture: supplied

The officer stayed with Sabrina for almost four hours before calling her parents and sending her home.

The officer returned to her station, booked in the blood samples, completed her shift and went home.

Sabrina went home with her parents and, in the early hours of July 22, was stabbed to death by her father while sitting in a car outside their family home.

A colleague investigating the murder called the officer later that day and told her Sabrina had been “brutally murdered”.

“(The officer) deposed that she lost it, was unable to stop crying and was very upset,” Ms Carrel ruled.

Petrit Lekaj who murdered his daughter Sabrina. Pictures Facebook

The white Mercedes where Petrit Lekaj stabbed his daughter Sabrina in Kidman Park about 11.40pm on Sunday July 21, 2019. Picture 7 NEWS

A detective investigating the murder went to the officer’s police station to check on her and told the Tribunal he found her crying.

“He was shocked to see (the officer) so upset, because he had not seen that much emotion for her in relation to a case before,” Ms Carrel ruled.

The officer went home that day and was unable to return to work for more than a year.

She was granted compensation until 2022 and returned to work in a limited capacity. The Tribunal found that she would not be able to return to active duty.

The officer applied for income compensation to make up the difference between her old role and the new, lower paid, position.

SA Police and the Department of Treasury and Finance refused the application and the officer appealed to the Tribunal.

In her published ruling Ms Carrel said the causal connection between Sabrina’s death and the psychiatric injury was close enough for her to find that the compensation was appropriate.

Originally published as SA Employment Tribunal awards compensation to police officer traumatised by death of Sabrina Lekaj