Beach stab accused used Snapchat name 'Ninja Killer'

A man accused of stabbing a woman to death on a beach used the profile name "Ninja Killer" on Snapchat and searched "what is the deadliest knife" on the internet, a jury has heard.

Nasen Saadi killed Amie Gray, 34, and seriously injured 38-year-old Leanne Miles on Durley Chine Beach in Bournemouth on 24 May, Winchester Crown Court was told.

The 20-year-old defendant, from Croydon, denies charges of murder and attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to failing to give the police access to his mobile phone.

Mr Saadi had also bought multiple knives online in the months before the attack, the court heard.

Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told the jury the victims were chosen randomly and "he seems to have wanted to know what it would be like to take life".

Ms Jones said Mr Saadi had carried out internet searches for "Bournemouth CCTV" and "Bournemouth pier CCTV" just days before the murder took place.

Since January 2024, his laptop included searches for: "How sharp are kitchen knives", "Why is it harder for a criminal to be caught if he does it in another town" and "What hotels don't have CCTV in UK", the court heard.

He had also looked up: "Is Bournemouth beach open all night" and "Most popular beach for kids UK", the jury was told.

Rosie Latham, major crime analyst at Dorset Police, confirmed to the court that several purchases of knives had been made from Mr Saadi's computer.

The day after the attack, Mr Saadi had read online news articles relating to the murder, Ms Jones said.

Ms Gray and Ms Miles had been sitting on the sand where they lit a fire and watched the full moon, the court was told on Monday.

CCTV footage shown to the jury captured Mr Saadi travelling from Croydon to the Travelodge hotel in Bournemouth on 21 May, before carrying out several recces of the area, the court heard.

The defendant then moved to the Silver How Hotel on 23 May, the prosecution added.

On the night of the attack, beach CCTV followed Mr Saadi as he walked up and down the promenade before attacking the woman and walking back to his hotel, Ms Jones said.

The jury was told Ms Miles suffered 20 knife wounds, mainly to her back, and had been fortunate to survive.

But pathologist Dr Basil Purdue said Ms Gray had died quickly from multiple stab wounds to her chest and arm, including one to her heart.

He concluded the injuries were as a result of stabbing with a knife with a single sharp edge and a blade which need not have been more than 5-7cm (2-3 inches) long.

In a video played in court, Ms Miles described how she pleaded for her life.

Speaking from her hospital bed, three days after the attack, she said: "He went towards me first - because I remember Amie saying: 'What are you doing? Get off her.'"

She said she was continuously stabbed until she said: "Please stop, I've got children." The man then walked away, she said.

Mr Saadi was studying criminology and criminal psychology at the University of Greenwich in 2023, the court was previously told.

His former lecturer, Dr Lisa-Maria Reiss, told the jury how Mr Saadi had asked her questions about whether police were able to trace DNA.

She said: "I asked him: 'You're not planning a murder, are you?'"

The trial continues.

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