A criminology student with a ‘rage’ against women and desire to ‘make them feel afraid’ has been jailed for stabbing a mum to death and trying to murder her friend on Bournemouth beach.
Nasen Saadi, of Croydon, south London, killed 34-year-old physical trainer Amie Gray and seriously wounded her friend Leanne Miles as the pair were enjoying a late-night chat next to a small fire at the Dorset seaside resort on May 24 last year.
The 21-year-old had collected knives and researched locations to carry out the killing and had even asked his course lecturers questions on how to get away with murder.
The 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’.
Jailing him for at least 39 years, 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.
‘You developed an obsessional fascination with violence, horror, crime and the mind of those who kill; and a deep seated urge for revenge against society.
‘In [the psychiatrist]’s view you identified yourself with the mind of a killer because you wished to feel the power of which you felt society had robbed you by rejecting and humiliating you.
‘The idea of being a recognised as a dangerous killer became appealing to you. It was with that mindset that you killed Aimee Grey and attempted to kill Leanne Miles.’
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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.’
Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC said the crime came after ‘weeks of research and planning’.
She said it seemed Saadi ‘wanted to know what it would be like to take life’.
Saadi had travelled from his home in Croydon and told police it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
The court heard how he once asked a lecturer about pleading self-defence to murder, to which the lecturer replied: ‘You’re not planning a murder, are you?’
He stayed for a four-night stay in Bournemouth starting May 21 and was shown on CCTV carrying out ‘recces’ of the seafront and the scene of the murder, which happened at about 11.40pm on May 24.
Ms Gray tried to distract Saadi while he was attacking Ms Miles, shouting ‘get away’, allowing her friend to flee.
In a victim impact statement, Amie Gray’s mother, Sharon Macklin, said: ‘Since Amie was taken from us it is like the lights have been dimmed and we cannot get the power to go back up.’
She said her daughter’s funeral was a ‘sea of blue’ which had been Amie’s favourite colour.
‘It was amazing to see how many hearts Amie had touched in her life.
‘She had recently been made a head coach at Dorset Futsal, which she loved and she received an award for this which made her so proud.
‘She had just started to plan a new work venture and on the day of her murder had secured her first customers, which made her so excited.
‘This has made it so much harder for us to deal with as a family, we have all struggled to come to terms with her death and most of all the horrendous way she died.’
Another victim impact statement read out on behalf of Sian Gray, Amie’s wife, said she’s ‘not the person I was before’.
‘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,’ she said.
‘Our tragedy has been a public display for all to see.
‘Amie’s beautiful life has now been reduced to forever being remembered as “the Murder Victim”.’
She added in an interview to the BBC: ‘She didn’t die on that beach, she still lives on.
‘I don’t want hate to consume me. Amie wouldn’t want us to stop our lives or be living in the shadows.
‘For me, him getting the justice he deserves is important.
‘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.’
The trial also heard how Saadi was ‘fascinated’ with knives and had bought six blades from websites, several of which found at his aunt’s house where he was living as well as at his parents’ home.
He had also carried out searches on about the Milly Dowler and Brianna Ghey killings.
Charles Sherrard KC, defending, said Saadi was a ‘social misfit’ that went under the radar.
Judge Mrs Justice Cutts said to Saadi in court : ‘Your preparations included finding the right location to murder someone and to avoid detection.
‘You had also clearly decided the beach was the place to locate your victim.
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‘You were clearly thinking of how to approach and run from your victim.
‘You chose Amie Gray and Leanne Miles because you had a grievance of society as a whole, and of women.
‘No doubt you thought you had committed the perfect crime.’
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