Beach murder suspect claims ‘mistaken identity’

A criminology student accused of fatally stabbing a woman on a beach informed law enforcement that he was a victim of “mistaken identity.” Winchester Crown Court was informed that Amie Gray, aged 34, died, and 38-year-old Leanne Miles sustained severe injuries on Durley Chine Beach in Bournemouth on May 24. Nasen Saadi, 20, from Croydon, denies charges of murder and attempted murder. During a police interview presented to the jury, he stated, “That’s not me” upon viewing CCTV footage from the night of the incident. Mr Saadi has subsequently entered a not guilty plea to an additional charge of wounding Ms Miles with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, presented as an alternative to the attempted murder charge. The court was shown CCTV footage capturing the instant of the assault, from which screams were audible. A camera positioned at the Chineside cafe, oriented away from the shoreline, recorded the sound of waves breaking on the beach. Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC noted that “a male voice” was also discernible in the approximately one-minute-long footage. Defense counsel Charles Sherrard KC stated that Mr Saadi would not testify from the witness box and presented no additional evidence. During her closing remarks, prosecutor Ms Jones addressed the jury, saying: “I wonder if you were starting to get a little impatient to be hearing from him.” She later remarked: “It turns out the defendant has nothing to say. Odd, isn’t it?” Mrs Justice Cutts commented that the proceedings might evoke “feelings of outrage and of sympathy.” She instructed the jurors: “Emotion of any kind doesn’t assist when deciding whether the evidence against the defendant is sufficiently proved.” Court proceedings included footage from a police interview conducted on May 31, where detectives questioned Mr Saadi about whether he was the individual captured on CCTV during the night of the assault. Dressed in a grey jumper and with his arms folded, he informed them it was an instance of “mistaken identity.” He asserted, “I am not responsible and I have no reason to attack someone for no reason.” An earlier segment of the same interview, read aloud to the jury, revealed Mr Saadi telling detectives that the evidence they had provided was “circumstantial.” He stated, “You haven’t found a murder weapon, you haven’t found the trousers, the bag.” The court had previously been informed that the two women were stabbed while seated on the sand. According to Ms Jones, CCTV footage from May 24 depicted Mr Saadi traversing the promenade before descending onto the sand and assaulting the women. The jury was told that paramedics reported discovering Ms Gray unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing, and “cold to the touch.” After receiving CPR, the football coach from Poole was declared deceased at the location. Pathologist Dr Basil Purdue testified to the court that Ms Gray’s death resulted from numerous stab wounds to her chest and arm, with one wound reaching her heart. The court was informed that Ms Miles was transported to the hospital, having sustained 20 stab wounds to her chest and back. The prosecution stated that subsequent to Mr Saadi’s arrest on May 28, law enforcement discovered five knives and self-defense spray in a bedroom at his residence. Authorities also confiscated a blue Trespass rucksack containing white latex gloves—two of which were inverted—along with a black balaclava, a torch, used wet wipes, and a packet of tissues. The court heard that he admitted guilt to the charge of failing to provide police access to his mobile phone, having declined to reveal his passwords, which resulted in detectives only being able to access “limited information.” Ms Jones stated that merely days prior to the assault, the defendant had conducted online searches for “Bournemouth CCTV” and “Bournemouth pier CCTV.” The prosecution indicated that additional footage presented to the jury showed the defendant traveling by train to the Travelodge in Bournemouth on May 21, subsequently conducting multiple nocturnal reconnaissance missions of the vicinity. The court was informed that on May 23, he departed the Travelodge and relocated to the Silver How Hotel. When questioned by detectives about his activities after checking out of the Travelodge on May 23 at 14:00, Mr Saadi responded: “I can’t remember, maybe sleepwalking… I probably blacked out.” The jury had previously been apprised that the defendant possessed an interest in true crime and had viewed a horror film at a cinema in Bournemouth, which he characterized as being “about killers that kill with no motive.” Mr Saadi had utilized the Snapchat profile name “Ninja Killer,” searched the internet for “what is the deadliest knife,” and acquired numerous knives through online purchases. Ms Jones had previously informed the court that Mr Saadi had dedicated a month to planning a random killing. The judicial proceedings are ongoing.