Wife says 'Amie lives on' as beach killer jailed

The wife of a woman who was stabbed to death on a beach in Bournemouth has said she wants her killer to know the pain he has caused.

Criminology student Nasen Saadi, 21, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 39 years for the murder of Amie Gray and the attempted murder of Leanne Miles.

The friends, who were aged 34 and 38 and not known to Saadi, were attacked on Durley Chine Beach last May.

Wanting to keep her wife's memory alive, Sian Gray exclusively told the BBC: "She didn't die on that beach, she still lives on."

Saadi was described in court as a "social misfit" with a "grievance against women" and committed his crimes "to feel powerful".

The criminology student at the University of Greenwich had collected knives and researched locations to carry out the killing, Winchester Crown Court heard.

He even asked course lecturers questions on how to get away with murder.

On the night of the attack, the two women were sitting on the sand where they had lit a fire and were enjoying the full moon.

CCTV footage showed Saadi stepping on to the beach, before repeatedly stabbing the pair and leaving them to bleed to death.

Ms Miles survived despite being taken to hospital with 20 knife wounds, mainly to her back.

But Ms Gray, a football coach from Poole, Dorset, had been stabbed in the heart and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Judge Mrs Justice Cutts told Winchester Crown Court that Saadi had chosen to deny his guilt because he wanted the "notoriety of a trial" and had a "complete lack of remorse".

She added: "It seems you have felt humiliated and rejected for any advances you have made towards girls which has led over time to a deeply-suppressed rage towards society and women in particular."

Sian Gray described her wife as a strong, beautiful woman with an infectious laugh.

"She would literally walk in, do a silly little dance and do a couple of jokes," she said.

Sian sat in the public gallery every day during the murder trial last December at Winchester Crown Court.

"For me, him getting the justice he deserves is important," she explained.

"I wanted to see him and him to look at me, to know the pain that he's caused and the lives that he's ruined.

"I felt like I was representing her, like I was standing up to him, not letting her die."

She said Amie's death still did not feel real, but she was taking each day as it came.

"I don't want hate to consume me," she added.

"Amie wouldn't want us to stop our lives or be living in the shadows."

The trial revealed Saadi had travelled from his home in Croydon to the Travelodge hotel in Bournemouth on 21 May.

He scouted the area before moving to the Silver How Hotel on 23 May, and attacking his victims the following night.

No weapon, clothing or DNA evidence was recovered during Dorset Police's investigation.

It was also discovered that Saadi had an interest in true crime and was "fascinated" with knives, having bought six blades from websites.

He used the name "Ninja Killer" on his Snapchat account and was found to have carried out searches about the Milly Dowler and Brianna Ghey killings.

One of his lecturers, Dr Lisa-Maria Reiss, told the court Saadi had asked questions on "how to get away with murder", and she asked him: "You're not planning a murder are you?"

During his trial, Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, said: "This defendant seems to have wanted to know what it would be like to take life, perhaps he wanted to know what it would be like to make women feel afraid, perhaps he thought it would make him feel powerful, make him interesting to others.

"Perhaps he just couldn't bear to see people engaged in a happy, normal social interaction and he decided to lash out, to hurt, to butcher."

A psychological assessment showed no evidence of Saadi having a diagnosed mental disorder and he had only features of autistic spectrum disorder.

Charles Sherrard KC, defending, said: "He is a social misfit, someone who had hardly any friends at school, never had a girlfriend and seemed to be somebody who was avoided rather than somebody's mate."

He said Saadi compensated by "obsessing" over horror films and was fascinated by the mind of a psychopath and had a "growing sense of rage against society for the rejection".

Mr Sherrard said Saadi had come from a "loving family" but none of those close to him had noticed any warning signs, such as his collection of knives.

Saadi denied charges of murder and attempted murder and claimed "mistaken identity" in a police interview.

But a jury found him guilty on both counts after a nine-day trial.

He previously pleaded guilty to failing to give police access to his mobile phone.

He did not give evidence in court.

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