Chef found guilty of murdering teenage model Sally Anne
Mark Dixie was found guilty of the murder
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Friday, 22, Feb 2008 08:11
Pub chef Mark Dixie has been found guilty of murdering teenage model Sally Anne Bowman.
Sally Anne, 18, was discovered dead outside her home in Croydon, south London, in September 2005.
The model had been stabbed seven times as well as receiving numerous bites.
Dixie, 37, denied the murder but admitted to having sex with her body after he claimed to have found her passed out from too much drinking.
He was sentenced to life in prison today, with a minimum of 34 years to be served.
He has received a number of convictions for sex offences in the past and was charged with the murder of Sally Anne after his DNA was found on the teenager's body.
Sally Anne's family cheered in court when the verdict was read out by the jury at the Old Bailey today.
Her father said: "The last two-and-a-half years have been torturously painful and immensely difficult and I do not think we could have got through it without the love and support that has been hugely available from family and friends."
Detective superintendent Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan police said: "Today Mark Dixie faces a life behind bars, a result that ensures the public are protected from a truly dangerous killer.
"Sally Anne was a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. Mark Dixie cut that life short in the most horrific way imaginable, her family and friends will always have to suffer her loss knowing the appalling acts he committed," Mr Cundy said.
"Mark Dixie posed a significant threat to women and I strongly believe that there are many other victims who have not come forward. He may have committed other sexual offences dating back many years. I therefore urge anyone who believes they are the victim of Mark Dixie and haven’t already informed police to please do so."
Police believe that Dixie committed a number of other sexual attacks in Thailand and Australia.