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 defendant, who has pleaded guilty to failing to provide his mobile phone code to police, denies the charges and the trial continues.
