Criminology scholar accused of murdering private coach on Bournemouth seaside ‘needed to be star of true crime episode’ and ‘designed’ the brutal killing himself, courtroom advised

A criminology student accused of murdering a personal trainer in a ‘ferocious’ attack on a beach ‘wanted to be the star of a true crime episode’ in a ‘motiveless killing’ he designed himself’, a court heard today.

Nasen Saadi, from Croydon, south London, wanted the ‘notoriety a killing of this sort might bring him’, jurors were told. He stands accused of the murder of 34-year-old personal trainer Amie Gray at Durley Chine Beach, West Undercliff Promenade, on May 24.

The 20 year old was accused by prosecutor Sarah Jones KC of being ‘cowardly’ for deciding not to give evidence in his trial and not providing the court with any explanation to the several coincidences which associate him with the death of Amie Gray.

In a closing speech, she urged them to find Saadi guilty of the offence and said his ‘silence’ represents the ‘literal truth’ – which is that there is ‘simply no other explanation’.

Earlier, Charlie Sherrard KC, defending, told Winchester Crown Court he will be calling ‘no evidence’ on behalf of Mr Saadi.

Ms Jones KC told jurors the fact that the student was in Bournemouth on the night of the attack and had stayed in the same hotel as the killer are ‘not coincidences’.

She said it is ‘odd’ that he’d chose not to give evidence, adding: ‘[He] wanted the notoriety a killing of this sort might bring him…wanted to be the star from a true crime episode, to choose his own attack, in a motiveless killing he designed himself’

Ms Jones KC said his ‘silence’ shows the ‘literal truth’ in what happened and remarked that he is ‘cowardly’ not to have given evidence.

‘The defendant says no one saw me do it,’ Ms Jones KC said.

‘There’s no DNA link.

‘The absence of DNA in this case is quite possibly the least surprising thing about this case.

‘The defendant has been researching since October 2022 when this defendant asked his lecturer how the police go about investigating a murder, how they go about tracing DNA.

‘This is a test he’s been prepping for for months by the time he came to Bournemouth.

‘The care that has been taken to ensure we can’t find it is extraordinary.

‘It has involved the destruction of every item of clothing he was wearing.

‘It has involved, hasn’t it, him wearing latex gloves at some point, whether at the time of the attack of subsequently.

‘Who else has latex gloves in their rucksack – pulled out as if worn?

‘His clippers and his wipes – he has taken extraordinary care, hasn’t he, to ensure that nothing can be found.

‘All of those actions beg the question he has been trying so hard, not to have answered.

‘If there is an entirely innocent explanation available then we will have those clothes to examine.

‘What we see is where he has ended up having taken care to avoid any evidence of criminality.’

Ms Jones KC continued: ‘How much of an obsession has his interest in knives and stabbing become.

‘Had he reached a point where horror films, owning knives, watching true crime… ceased to be sufficient any longer.’

She questioned if he had moved ‘beyond the academic’, adding: ‘Why would a young man, reliant on his parents and family for money, take a holiday to Bournemouth when he clearly has no interest in exploring Bournemouth.

‘The fact I can’t ask those questions doesn’t mean you don’t know the answers.

‘The reason I can’t ask him those questions is because he’s not been able to answer questions that don’t incriminate him further.

‘All you need to do is put all of the circumstances together to see this case as a whole and understand all the evidence against him.

‘While [Saadi] is bent on murder, Amie Gray intervenes on her friends behalf and takes the brunt on her behalf.’

Referring to Michael Priddle, a photographer who was in the area on the night of the attack and walked past Saadi who selected him in a police ID parade and gave evidence in court, Jones added: ‘It would be so much better if we could carry in our memories of the wholesomeness of Michael Priddle.

‘If we could remember the beauty in the lives of Amie and Leanne, and concentrate on her recovery.’

Earlier in the trial, he claimed to have been the victim of ‘mistaken identity.’

He told the court: ‘I am not responsible and I have no reason to attack someone for no reason.’

He added: ‘I am wrongly accused of mistaken identity, mistakes can happen and I am not responsible.

‘I think just because someone is wearing the same clothes is circumstantial.’

When asked where he was at the time of the attack, he replied ‘No comment’.

He was then asked if he was the person in the CCTV footage of the incident, he replied: ‘Beaches are popular places, many people, CCTV shows there were many people walking, it’s not just one person.’

And when asked if he was that person, he replied: ‘No.’

Charles Sherrard KC, defending, told the jury that his client would not be giving evidence from the witness box and there was no other evidence to be given as part of the defence case.

Summing up the evidence, the judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, told the jury that offences can create feelings of ‘outrage and sympathy’ but told the jurors to put any such feelings on one side.

She added: ‘Emotion of any kind doesn’t assist when deciding whether the evidence against the defendant is sufficiently proved.’

The defendant has been charged with a further count of wounding Ms Miles with intent to cause grievous bodily harm as an alternative to the attempted murder charge.

He pleaded not guilty to the extra charge and also denies the charges of murder and attempted murder.

Saadi, who was studying criminology at Greenwich University, has pleaded guilty to failing to give his phone number to police.

The trial continues.