Student accused of beach murder told police he ‘blacked out’, court told

A criminology student accused of the murder of Amie Gray on Bournemouth beach told police in interview that he “blacked out” at the time of the fatal attack.

Nasen Saadi also told detectives he had an interest in true crime, unsolved cases and horror movies.

The 20-year-old, from Croydon, south London, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the murder of 34-year-old Ms Gray at Durley Chine Beach, West Undercliff Promenade, on May 24, and the attempted murder of her friend Leanne Miles at the same location.

During his police interview, held on May 30, Saadi answered “no comment” to questions about the fatal attack.

He told detectives he had been studying physical education but had changed courses to criminology and criminal psychology at Greenwich University.

Explaining why he changed, he said: “I wasn’t good enough to progress, I failed.”

He said he chose the criminology course because he was interested in true crime and he added the course was “more to do with psychology”.

Saadi also said the aspect of true crime he liked was when “they do not have a motive”.

He added: “I like unsolved crimes,” and referred to the Setagaya family murders in Japan.

Saadi told detectives he had been to Bournemouth but had been “annoyed” because it had been raining and he had gone to see the movie The Strangers – Chapter 1, which the court has heard is a “slasher” movie.

He told police he likes horror movies and said of the film: “I think it’s a good one, I think it’s about a killer that kills with no motive.”

He added he had also recently seen the movie Annabelle.

When asked how he felt after watching horror movies, he said: “Nothing, it’s just a movie, it’s just the same if I watched a comedy.”

The defendant also said he felt “useless at the moment because I do not have any income” and he could not afford to go abroad.

Saadi told the detectives he had gone to a Travelodge because he could not afford a five-star hotel, but said he left the hotel at about 2pm on May 23 and had no memory of events after that.

He said he had been “maybe sleep-walking, I probably blacked out, I can’t remember, I have a bad memory, I can’t remember things that happened yesterday”.

Saadi said he drank two bottles of strawberry and lime cider during his stay, including a full bottle before he left the hotel that day.

He said he had not seen a doctor about blackouts and then said he had not been sleep-walking.

Saadi said: “All I remember is walking a long distance but I do not remember where, last thing I can remember is leaving the Travelodge at 2pm.”

He added that the next thing he remembered was “I woke up at home”, but accepted he had been in Superdrug and a Nisa store on the day of the attack.

He added: “I feel like you’ve got very weak evidence, and I can’t believe like I’m being wrongly accused of a serious offence that I’ve got nothing to do with.”

He said: “I am innocent,” and added: “I wasn’t there.”

Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, said after Saadi was arrested on May 28, police searched his bedroom at the home of his aunt where he was living and found five knives which included a machete and an ornamental knife as well as a self-defence spray.

Officers also seized a blue Trespass rucksack which contained white latex gloves, two of which were inside out, a black balaclava, a torch, used wet wipes, a packet of tissues and two packets of chillies.

A further knife was later recovered which had been hidden in a wall cavity in the room.

Police also seized two knives and an axe from the home of the defendant’s parents which his father had “previously taken and hidden” from Saadi, Ms Jones said.

She added that Saadi had bought six knives from websites between February and April 2024.

Home Office pathologist Dr Basil Purdue has told the trial that Ms Gray died as a result of 10 knife wounds while Ms Miles suffered 20 knife injuries.

The court also heard that when Ms Miles, 39, was informed of the death of her friend, she responded “that Amie Gray had saved her life”.

Saadi has pleaded guilty to failing to provide his mobile phone pin code to police and he said in interview this was because he felt it was an “invasion of privacy”.

The defendant denies the charges and the trial continues.