Met 'no case to answer' over beach murderer contact

The Metropolitan Police has concluded it has "no case to answer" after a complaint about previous contact its officers had with a criminology student who went on to murder a woman on Bournemouth beach.

Nasen Saadi, 21, from Croydon, fatally stabbed Amie Gray and seriously injured Leanne Miles in a "senseless" and "random" attack on 24 May 2024.

In June, the Met received a complaint relating to an allegation made in February by someone who believed Saadi had been stalking them.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed the Met to carry out its own investigation into how the complaint was handled.

The complainant has been notified of the conclusion of the Met's investigation and has the right to ask the watchdog to review the decision.

In a statement following Saadi's conviction in December, Amie's wife Sian Gray said: "She touched the lives of so many" and "her strength lives on in all of us".

Leanne Miles, 38, who survived despite being stabbed 20 times, told police when Saadi went towards her she remembered Amie saying: "What are you doing? Get off her."

Nasen Saadi was studying criminology at the University of Greenwich and police found a number of knives in his bedroom.

Prosecutors said he had an "unfathomable desire to carry out a murder" and went to "great lengths to avoid getting caught".

Saadi's name first became public on 31 May 2024 when he was charged with the fatal attack.

It was just days later on 3 June when a complaint relating to him, and unconnected to the murder in Bournemouth, was made to the Met in its Greater London policing area.

The Met said the complaint related to the handling of "a stalking allegation" made in February.

A force spokesperson said: "We made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct on 7 June who referred the matter back to us for local investigation.

"The investigation has concluded and found there is no case to answer. The complainant has been informed of this outcome."

Last June, after the Met referred itself to the police watchdog, the IOPC said after careful consideration it had decided the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards was "best placed" to conduct an investigation.

In its statement in June an IOPC spokesperson added: "If the complainant is unhappy with the outcome of the investigation they will have a right of review to the IOPC, providing a level of independent oversight."

The complainant has 28 days from receiving the Met's outcome letter to apply to the IOPC for a review.

Nasen Saadi is due to be sentenced for his crimes in Bournemouth at Winchester Crown Court on 28 March.

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