Criminology student accused of killing a stranger 'asked how he could get away with killing in class'

A criminology student asked questions about how he could get away with murder during a lecture before stabbing a woman to death in a random attack on Bournemouth seafront, his murder trial heard.

Nasen Saadi, 20, is accused of murdering Amie Gray, 34, at Durley Chine Beach, West Undercliff Promenade, on May 24, and of attempting to kill her friend Leanne Miles, 39, in the same area.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Saadi, from Croydon, south London, has changed his studies at Greenwich University to study criminology and criminology in autumn 2023.

Lecturer Dr Lisa-Maria Reiss told the court that after she gave a seminar entitled “Introduction to Social Sciences”, which was about how the political structure in the UK was organized, Saadi asked her questions about the murder.

Dr. Reiss said: “I had finished the speech and asked if there were any questions. He said, 'Would you go so far as to talk about killing in self-defense?'”

He continued: “I was confused because I didn't remember talking about this issue. Although it's a topic I'm familiar with, I didn't talk about it in class. I saw my students very confused as to why the question was asked.

“I remember saying that we did not discuss this in this lesson and there will be a lesson that will talk about police issues.

“From what I remember, he ignored that and then asked about self-defense charges and how many times it will happen if someone claims to have been attacked first.”

He added: “He asked me what DNA was left and how long and if the police could trace the DNA and I said 'Yes, they know that'.

“He ignored it, it was as if he didn't listen.

“Later I said to him: 'You are not planning to kill?' He said no, he is researching an article he wants to write for a competition paper to win £500.”

Dr. Reiss, who was a special police officer in the Municipal Police, said his colleague, Pavandeep Singh Aneja, who was also a special police officer, entered the class with questions and answers in November.

He said Saadi asked different types of questions to other students and added: “It was very focused on DNA, how to get away with murder, these kinds of things, which were very different from other questions we would get as a job. -Life balance.”

Mr. Singh said that Saadi asked questions about what steps will be taken after the killings regarding the evidence of the investigation.

He said: “There were a series of questions: 'If a crime happens in one place, in one police, how can the information be passed on to other police?'”

“There were other questions, 'What do you think about women as police officers?', which I thought was a strange question.”

Novice photographer Michael Priddle told the court he had gone to the beach on the night of the incident to take pictures of birds and the full moon rising.

He said he had left the beach at around 11:40pm to go back up the cliff and past the shelter in Victoria on his way home when he heard two loud screams on the beach.

He said that within three to five minutes he saw a man wearing black pants and a black jacket covered with a colored belt in front coming towards him.

He added that he felt “very concerned for my safety, he seemed to be not a good person” because of his “angry and scowling”.

He went on to say: “I have been keeping an eye on him for my safety, and I continued to walk.”

Mr Priddle added: “He looked like a terrible person, and I kept looking at him when he passed this young couple at the shelter in Victoria.

Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told the judge that Mr Priddle selected Saadi's picture from a display of ten photographs three days after the incident.

The defendant, who pleaded guilty to failing to give police his phone number, denies all other charges and the case is ongoing.