Summary

  1. Beach killer starts at least 39 years behind barspublished at 15:45 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    We are now wrapping up our live coverage from the sentencing hearing of Nasen Saadi at Winchester Crown Court.

    As well as reading all our posts below, you can read our report on today's sentencing and watch an exclusive interview with Amie Gray's wife.

    If you have been affected by any of the distressing content coming from court today, support is available via BBC Action Line.

  2. A recap on what's happened todaypublished at 15:37 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    • Nasen Saadi has been jailed for life with a minimum of 39 years for the murder of Amie Gray and the attempted murder of Leanne Miles
    • The pair had been sitting on a beach in Bournemouth when they were attacked last May
    • Saadi, a criminology student, was described in court as a "social misfit" who had a "grievance against women"
    • CCTV footage showed Saadi stepping on to the beach, before repeatedly stabbing the pair and leaving them to bleed to death
    • In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Sian Gray said her wife "didn't die on that beach, she still lives on"

  3. Futsal tribute 'for Amie'published at 15:00 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Amie Gray had been an avid player of futsal - a form of indoor football - and played with Dorset Futsal Club.

    She was ambitious and wanted to get the girls' team into the national league.

    On the night of her murder, she had been at a training session before heading to the beach.

    Her teammates described her as being "so strong" and "comfortable being completely herself".

    In a video released in her memory, club chairman Michael Wootten said she had been an "inspirational leader, teammate and friend" who would never be forgotten.

    Media caption,

    Dorset Futsal Club pay tribute to murdered coach Amie Gray

  4. Amie Gray 'saved' life of her friendpublished at 14:47 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    While Nasen Saadi was stabbing Leanne Miles on the beach, Amie Gray bravely distracted him.

    She shouted at him to "get away" from her friend, allowing Ms Miles to run away.

    He then directed his attack at Ms Gray instead, going on to stab her 10 times.

    When police told Ms Miles her friend had died, she said Amie Gray had "saved" her life.

  5. Leanne Miles describes beach attackpublished at 14:32 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    In a video played during the murder trial, Leanne Miles described how she pleaded for her life for the sake of her children.

    Speaking from her hospital bed, three days after the attack, she said: "I just remember we turned around, and I looked at this boy.

    "He went towards me first - because I remember Amie saying: 'What are you doing? Get off her.'"

    She then lost sight of her friend as they fled, but heard her saying: "Get off me".

    She continued: "He came back on to me and he was continuously stabbing me.

    "I said: 'Please stop, I've got children.' And then I think that's when he started to go, he walked away."

  6. Timeline of a killerpublished at 14:24 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    A map of Bournemouth showing key locations including the location of the attack, West Cliff Zig Zag and Silver How Hotel

    Using CCTV, police were able to track Nasen Saadi's movements around Bournemouth.

    21 May 2024

    • 12:25 - Saadi travels by train from Croydon to Bournemouth. He is wearing a dark jacket with a light stripe across the chest,
    • 14:40 - He is seen arriving in the seaside town at 14:40.
    • 15:17 - He checks in to a Travelodge in the West Cliff area of Bournemouth. He stays there for two nights.

    23 May 2024

    • 14:22 - Saadi is seen checking into the Silver How Hotel. This guesthouse is slightly closer to Durley Chine Beach.

    24 May 2024

    • 11:32 - Using his own bank card, Saadi buys orange juice and crisps at a Nisa convenience store in West Cliff.
    • 22:40 - Saadi pulls his hood over his head and leaves the Silver How Hotel.
    • 23:06 - He is seen walking up and down the promenade at Durley Chine Beach. He is wearing the same dark jacket with a light stripe across the chest as seen in previous days.
    • 23:38 - Saadi steps onto the sand and stabs Amie Gray and Leanne Miles, who are sat by a fire chatting. Paramedics arrive about ten minutes later, after a call from Ms Miles.
    • 23:44 - Saadi is seen leaving the beach.
    • 23:51 - He returns to the Silver How Hotel.

    25 May 2024

    • 00:24 - Amie Gray is pronounced dead by paramedics.
    • 09:09 - Saadi leaves the Silver How Hotel for Bournemouth railway station in a taxi.
    • 11:48 - He gets off a train at Riddlesdown, Croydon.

    28 May 2024

    • Police arrest Saadi at his aunt’s home in Croydon on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
  7. Killer searched for 'Bournemouth pier CCTV'published at 14:09 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Just days before his brutal attack, Nasen Saadi carried out internet searches for "Bournemouth CCTV" and "Bournemouth pier CCTV".

    He also looked up: "How sharp are kitchen knives" and "Why is it harder for a criminal to be caught if he does it in another town" in the months before the murder.

    The day after the attack, police discovered Saadi had been reading online news articles about it.

    Forensic experts were only able to access "limited information" from his phone because he refused to give them his password.

    Three CCTV images of Nasen Saadi walking with his hood up. He is wearing a black jacket which has a light stripe across the chest.Image source, Dorset Police
    Image caption,

    Nasen Saadi is caught on CCTV walking along the promenade at Durley Chine on the night of the murder

  8. Saadi asked 'how to get away with murder'published at 13:58 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    An artist's sketch of Nasen Saadi in court, showing a man with short, dark hair and a thin moustache.Image source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Nasen Saadi asked his lecturers probing questions about murder and DNA evidence

    Nasen Saadi had been studying criminology and criminal psychology at the University of Greenwich.

    Lecturer Dr Lisa-Maria Reiss said he had asked her about pleading self-defence to murder and DNA evidence during a seminar which had not covered these topics.

    She said: "He asked me what DNA is left behind and if the police is able to trace that DNA.

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

    Dr Reiss' partner, special officer Pavandeep Singh Aneja, gave a talk to the students on policing in November 2023.

    He said Saadi had asked questions "on DNA, how to get away with murder, these types of things".

  9. Murderer had interest in true crime and horror filmspublished at 13:37 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Nasen Saadi is seen on CCTV entering the door of a Travelodge hotel. He is holding a bright orange carrier bag and is wearing a backpack. He has short black hair.Image source, CPS
    Image caption,

    Nasen Saadi spent several days in Bournemouth before carrying out the brutal attack

    Nasen Saadi told detectives he had an interest in unsolved crimes, such as the Setagaya family murders in Japan.

    In a police interview, he said he had visited the cinema while he had been in Bournemouth.

    He watched horror film The Strangers: Chapter 1, and described it as being "about killers that kill with no motive".

    When asked how he felt after watching horror films, he replied: "Nothing."

  10. 'Down on your knees!' - police release video of arrestpublished at 13:22 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Media caption,

    Nasen Saadi was arrested in Croydon

    Nasen Saadi was arrested at his aunt's house in Purley, Croydon, on 31 May.

    In the video recorded on a police bodyworn camera, officers point weapons at Saadi while telling him to walk down the stairs with his hands on his head.

    They direct him outside the property where they arrest him on suspicion of murder.

  11. Killer looked at floor as he was jailedpublished at 13:10 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Nasen Saadi had been watching the judge intently while she recalled his movements in Bournemouth.

    But as she read his prison sentence to the court, he looked down at his feet.

    Several of Amie Gray's family members had tears in their eyes as he was escorted from the dock.

  12. Nasen Saadi's 'knife obsession'published at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    A knife with a black handle and a sharp point. It has a ridged edge on part of the blade. It is next to an evidence ruler.Image source, CPS
    Image caption,

    Police found knives in Nasen Saadi's bedroom

    A machete, four other knives and a self-defence spray were found in a bedroom at his aunt's house in Purley where Nasen Saadi was arrested.

    Several purchases of knives had also been made from his computer.

    The murder weapon was never found.

  13. Killer admitted guilt to psychologistpublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    In her summary, judge Mrs Justice Cutts also revealed Nasen Saadi had admitted his guilt to a psychologist after his murder trial.

    She said in pleading not guilty to the murder and attempted murder he had shown a "complete lack of remorse".

    She added he had "sought notoriety you had hoped a trial would give you".

  14. Amie Gray's wife tells BBC: 'I dont want hate to consume me'published at 12:33 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Media caption,

    Sian Gray speaks exclusively to the BBC about her wife Amie's murder

    In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Sian Gray said getting justice for her wife Amie was important.

    She sat in the public gallery every day during Nasen Saadi's murder trial at Winchester Crown Court in December.

    "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," she said.

    "I felt like I was representing her, like I was standing up to him, not letting her die."

  15. Judge: 'You thought you had committed the perfect crime'published at 12:22 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Giving her summary of the attack, judge Mrs Justice Cutts said, whilst Saadi’s choice of victims had been random, she was “satisfied that you had long planned and prepared to kill”.

    “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."

    Referring to evidence of him carrying out internet searches for whether it was easier to run on pebble or sandy beaches, she said: “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."

    She added: “No doubt you thought you had committed the perfect crime.”

  16. Nasen Saadi jailed for at least 39 yearspublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March
    Breaking

    Nasen Saadi has been jailed for life with a minimum of 39 years for the murder of Amie Gray and attempted murder of Leanne Miles.

  17. Watch live as Nasen Saadi being sentenced for murderpublished at 12:01 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Nasen Saadi is being sentenced for the murder of Amie Gray and attempted murder of her friend Leanne Miles.

    You can follow Mrs Justice Cutts as she delivers her sentencing remarks at the top of the page - just click the watch live button.

  18. Killer was 'social misfit' that went under radarpublished at 11:49 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    Charles Sherrard KC, defending, said Nasen Saadi had "never been in trouble in his life" and that he was "very much under the radar".

    "There can never be an excuse, but we've tried as best we can to understand and to try and explain.

    "Nasen has both recognised his guilt and demonstrated a willingness to attend therapy."

    He said Saadi had "repressed socially-induced trauma" from a combination of rejections and humiliation over many years.

    "To put it another way, a social misfit," he said.

    He went on to say Saadi had no friends at school and had never had a girlfriend.

    Quoting Saadi, Mr Sherrard said: "I never got noticed when I did a good thing, people have only noticed me when I have done a bad thing."

    Mr Sherrard added: "And that perhaps is the nearest one can get to an explanation."

  19. Killer 'falls short' of autism diagnosispublished at 11:36 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    An assessment of Nasen Saadi's mental health found he "falls short" of the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Winchester Crown Court hears.

    Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC said it was noted he did have "significant features" of the "socially impactful" aspects of autism.

    She added, whilst these may have impaired his judgement, he knew what he was doing and knew that it was wrong, and understood the consequences of his actions.

  20. Amie Gray's mother says funeral was 'sea of blue'published at 11:34 Greenwich Mean Time 28 March

    A victim impact statement from Amie Gray's mother, Sharon Macklin, is now being read to the court, read by prosecutor Sarah Jones KC.

    "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, on the day of her daughter's funeral, there had been 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."