A physical trainer who was stabbed to death on Bournemouth beach suffered 10 knife wounds including one of “severe force” that injured her heart, a court has heard.
Nasen Saadi, from Croydon, south London, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the murder of 34-year-old Amie Gray at Durley Chine Beach, West Undercliff Promenade, on May 24, and the attempted murder of Leanne Miles at the same location.
Home Office pathologist Dr Basil Purdue told the court that Ms Gray died as a result of “multiple stab wounds”.
He said the most serious would have required “severe force” to go through the breast bone and caused a wound to the pericardial sac – the bag surrounding the heart – which meant that the heart could not beat properly.
He explained that Ms Gray suffered a total of 10 “passes of a knife and two exit wounds” which included an injury to her left upper arm which he said went 10cm into the body and cut the brachial artery which could also have been life-threatening.
The pathologist also said that Ms Gray suffered cuts which might have been defensive injuries as she held up her arms to defend herself.
Dr Purdue said that Ms Miles, now aged 39, had 20 knife injuries, mainly to her back, and suffered a collapsed lung and a punctured liver.
He said that the injuries to both women were likely to have been caused by a knife with a blade of between 5cm and 7cm long with “a single sharp edge and a finely-squared back edge”.
He said: “Any stab wound is potentially very dangerous, if you stab someone you can cause rapidly life-threatening injuries. Stabbing is a very dangerous method of attack.”
The jury was shown CCTV footage which Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, said showed Saadi’s movements in the days before the attack as well as the fatal incident itself.
The footage shows the man claimed to be Saadi going for walks along the promenade during the evenings of his stay in Bournemouth, which Ms Jones has suggested were “recces” for the fatal attack.
The court has heard that Saadi initially booked into a Travelodge hotel in Bournemouth on May 21 before moving to the nearby Silver How hotel on May 23.
On the day of the attack, May 24, the man is shown buying wet wipes and nail clippers at a Superdrug store in Bournemouth town centre before also going for a walk along the sea front to buy an ice cream in the afternoon.
The jury was then shown CCTV footage of Ms Miles arriving at Durley Chine at 9.10pm followed by Ms Gray, who also worked as a football coach, wearing shorts and sports clothing, at 9.47pm.
The prosecution say that Saadi is then shown in the footage to leave his hotel at 10.43pm and walk down to the seafront before going along the promenade towards Durley Chine.
The man is then shown walking past the victims sat on the beach before walking on to the sand and then returning along the promenade towards them.
He then “loiters” in the area, going on to the sand and off again before he approaches the two victims sat on the beach next to the small fire at 11.38pm.
The man can be seen attacking the two women before one of the pair manages to get on to the promenade and he is seen running across the sand towards her before running away again.
The prosecution say that the footage then shows the man, which they say is Saadi, arriving back at the Silver How hotel at 11.50pm.
The defendant, who has pleaded guilty to failing to provide his mobile phone code to police, denies the charges and the trial continues.
