“Social misfit” with “obsession” with horror films Nasen Saadi jailed for murder of Amie Gray on Durley Chine Beach

A “social misfit” with an “obsession” with horror films has been jailed for life for the murder of 34-year-old physical trainer Amie Gray. During sentencing killer Nasen Saadi was said to have a “grievance against society as a whole and women in particular”.

Saadi, of Croydon, south London, stabbed Mrs Gray to death and seriously wounded her friend Leanne Miles as the pair were enjoying a late-night chat next to a small fire at Durley Chine Beach, Dorset, at around 11.40pm on May 24 last year. Home Office pathologist Dr Basil Purdue told the trial that Ms Gray died as a result of 10 knife wounds including one to the heart while Ms Miles suffered 20 knife injuries.

A criminology student at the University of Greenwich, 21-year-old Saadi was “fascinated” with knives and had bought six blades from websites, with several found at his aunt’s house where he was living as well as at his parents’ home. He also researched locations to carry out the killing and had even asked his course lecturers questions on how to get away with murder.

Studying for a degree in criminology after dropping out of a physical education course, he had carried out searches about the Milly Dowler and Brianna Ghey killings. Saadi also used the name “Ninja Killer” on his Snapchat account username “NSkills” on his computer.

Lecturer 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?”

The court was told he had booked two hotels for a four-night stay in Bournemouth starting on May 21 and was shown on CCTV carrying out “recces” of the seafront and the scene of the murder. During his stay, Saadi, a fan of horror movies, went to the cinema to see slasher movie The Strangers – Chapter 1.

Suggesting a motive for the attack, Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told the trial: “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.”

In the absence of the jury, the court heard that Saadi had touched himself sexually in his prison cell before the trial after he asked a female prison officer how much publicity the case was getting.

Ms Jones told the sentencing hearing that a psychological assessment showed no evidence of Saadi having a diagnosed mental disorder and he had only features of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). She said the assessment found “he is an increased risk to others because of his obsession with killing, sense of grievance and desire to feel powerful”.

Judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, said Saadi had denied his guilt because he wanted the “notoriety of a trial” and had a “complete lack of remorse”. She said: “The clear evidence is you planned to kill and went to Bournemouth to do so. I am satisfied that you chose Amie Gray and Leanne Miles because you have a grievance against society as a whole and women in particular.”

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.”

The judge said the attack was “utterly senseless” and added: “I have no doubt you are an extremely dangerous young man and will remain so.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mrs Gray’s wife, Sian Gray, said the death would “haunt” her forever. She said: “At the age of 36, I should not have to hold my deceased wife’s cold hand, nor should my daughter have to say goodbye and grieve over a coffin.

“Our tragedy has been a public display for all to see. In such a small town we have no privacy so cannot hide our grief. That has been taken away from us. Amie’s beautiful life has now been reduced to forever being remembered as ‘the Murder Victim’.”

Mrs Gray’s mother Sharon Macklin said in a statement: “Amie was an amazing, funny, kind and energetic soul. She had a big smile and a loud laugh and when she entered the room it filled with laughter and her presence couldn’t be ignored.”

Since her daughter’s death, she has struggled to sleep and has been taking medication and receiving counselling. She added: “She was beautiful inside and out. Even if life wasn’t great for her she would always find the time to help others.”

Charles Sherrard KC, defending, said Saadi had “recognised his guilt” after his conviction and “demonstrated a willingness to receive therapy”.

He added: “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. The fact of that was to provide him with significantly low esteem and general sense of inadequacy.”

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 continued: “Infamy became a valid goal in itself.

“Without using the words of a psychologist, without anything from a thesaurus, what it comes down to, in the words of the defendant, ‘I never got noticed when I did a good thing, people have only noticed when I did a bad thing’, and that’s perhaps the nearest one can get to an explanation.”

Mr Sherrard said Saadi had come from a “loving family” but none of those close to him had noticed warning signs such as his collection of knives. He said: “He never went to parties, always felt rejected while all those at home felt all was OK.

“He is a young man who should have been noticed, his difficulties, some of those traits, should have been noticed way before, who knows what the narrative would have been thereafter.”

Saadi was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 39 years and 65 days for the murder charge with a concurrent term of 30 years for the attempted murder, and 21 months concurrent for a charge of failing to provide his phone pin code to police.