Bournemouth stabbing victim named as personal trainer

A 34-year-old woman who was stabbed to death on a Bournemouth beach has been named as personal trainer Amie Gray.

Ms Gray suffered fatal injuries at Durley Chine Beach and was found dead at the scene when police attended at around 11.45pm on Friday night.

Another 38-year-old woman from Poole was left with serious injuries alongside Ms Gray.

She remained in hospital on Sunday.

On Saturday, the police confirmed a 17-year-old boy from Lancashire had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

He remains in custody and is being questioned by police.

Ms Gray, also from Poole, was the head ladies’ coach at Dorset Futsal Club and leaves behind a wife.

On Sunday, friends and loved ones paid tribute to the young woman on social media, with one describing her as a “beautiful person inside and out”.

A friend of Amie’s told The Sun: “It is such a shocking thing to happen. She was a wonderful human being and didn’t have any enemies.”

Dorset Futsal Club posted a black square on its Facebook profile and a statement which read: “Today, the club has received some truly devastating news. We cannot put this into words at this time and as a mark of respect to all those affected, we will not be posting anything new for the foreseeable future.”

Detectives issued CCTV images of the suspect wearing a hoodie, black trousers and black shoes on Sunday night and urged anyone who may have seen him to come forward.

Community impact

Police urged the public not to speculate as officers were seen scouring the beach with metal detectors later in the day.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday morning, Detective Superintendent Richard Dixey, of the major crime investigation team, said: “Since we received the report of this tragic incident where a woman has lost her life and another woman has been seriously injured, our detectives – assisted by many colleagues around the organisation – have worked tirelessly to progress the investigation.”

He added: “We recognise the impact this incident has had on our communities and are aware of speculation already appearing online about the possible circumstances.

“Our investigation is still in the very early stages and it is unhelpful to speculate as to why this tragedy has happened, especially as an arrest has been made.”

Police cordoned off more than a mile stretch of the popular Dorset beach from west of the pier to Alum Chine.

Photographs showed officers searching the sparse area, while families packed onto a nearby beach over the bank holiday weekend.

Durley Chine is one of Bournemouth’s most popular Blue Flag award-winning beaches.

‘Horrendous incident’

On Saturday Sir Conor Burns, the Tory MP for Bournemouth West, wrote on X: “Awaiting further updates from the police on the ghastly stabbing on the beach. A tragic death.

“Important to remember that these events are headlines because they are thankfully still rare locally.”

Mr Dixey appealed for anyone with any information to come forward, particularly those who were in the nearby area on the night of the incident.

He said: “I want to reassure our communities in Dorset as well as the many people who choose to visit our county during the bank holiday weekend that we are exploring all available lines of enquiry to establish the motives for this horrendous incident.”

The double stabbing is the latest violent crime to take place at Bournemouth beach and in the town centre in recent years.

Earlier in May, two 15-year-old girls were allegedly raped and sexually assaulted in an alleyway next to the Oceanarium by Bournemouth pier.

In the summer of 2023, 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton was stabbed to death in Bournemouth town square, and in July 2021 a 15-year-old girl was raped in the water off the beach in front of thousands of people on the hottest day of the year.