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Mark Dixie given two more life terms: Sally Anne Bowman killer sentenced for sex attacks he confessed to in custody

The court heard Mark Dixie - who was sentenced to two life terms, with a minimum of 28 years, on Friday - might have confessed to maintain 'a degree of notoriety' - Metropolitan Police
The court heard Mark Dixie - who was sentenced to two life terms, with a minimum of 28 years, on Friday - might have confessed to maintain 'a degree of notoriety' - Metropolitan Police

The former pub chef in jail for raping and murdering teenage model Sally Anne Bowman has been handed two more life sentences for two further sex attacks.

Mark Dixie, now 47, was jailed for at least 34 years in 2008 for repeatedly stabbing 18-year-old Miss Bowman, before raping her as she lay dead or dying in south London in 2005.

He finally admitted the killing to detectives in January 2015 and went on to confess to two more attacks over the course of 40 interviews, including the rape of a woman when he was aged just 16.

Dixie was sentenced to two life terms, with a minimum of 28 years, on Friday at Southwark Crown Court, which heard he might have confessed to maintain "a degree of notoriety".

His previous life sentence meant he was not eligible for parole until 2040, when he will be 69, and the new sentence means it will be another four years until he has a chance of being freed.

Sally Anne Bowman - Credit: Jane Mingay/PA
Sally Anne Bowman, a teenage model, on a London catwalk in 2005 Credit: Jane Mingay/PA

Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC told Dixie, who pleaded guilty to charges of rape, indecent assault and grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing: "These offences are serious offences."

Miss Bowman's family sat in court as the judge said: "I am satisfied that you remain a serious danger to the public."

He said Dixie's offending had "escalated significantly" until he was jailed for the teenager's murder, adding: "The risk of repeated violent sexual harm remains very high."

Father-of-three Dixie appeared by videolink from HMP Frankland in County Durham.

He sat with his hands clasped in front of his face as prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC outlined his crimes, which she said showed "an escalating pattern of violence towards women coupled with sexual depravity".

CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Mark Dixie being interviewed by the police - Credit: Metropolitan Police 
A CCTV image shows Mark Dixie being interviewed by police in 2008 Credit: Metropolitan Police

At his 2008 Old Bailey trial, Dixie denied murdering Miss Bowman, claiming he had sex with her after coming across her already dead or dying in the street.

But the jury took just three hours to return unanimous guilty verdicts.

Dixie wrote to police in January 2015 saying he wanted to "tell the truth" about what happened to the blonde teenager, before telling detectives he had killed her in a frenzied attack that included biting her after she fled from her boyfriend's car in a row.

He told police he had not raped or murdered anybody before, but went on to admit two further attacks, after he was told by the investigating officer: "That's not entirely true. I know something you did in 1987."

The prosecutor said Dixie's confessions might have been him seeking to take responsibility for his offending, but added: "Or is there an element of maintaining a degree of notoriety?"

Linda Bowman and sister Michelle after the conviction of Mark Dixie for the murder of daughter Sally Anne Bowman - Credit: EDDIE MULHOLLAND
Sally Anne Bowman's mother Linda Bowman and sister Michelle after the conviction of Mark Dixie in 2008 Credit: EDDIE MULHOLLAND

The first victim was targeted by Dixie in her own car at an isolated south London car park in 1987, who then tied her up inside and set the vehicle on fire.

She said he "seemed delighted in her evident fear" as she became hysterical, fearing she was going to die.

The woman, aged 44 at the time, managed to free herself and raise the alarm, but was left "utterly petrified", when she received two chilling phone calls from her attacker in the following days, the court was told.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "I didn't seek counselling, I had survived, I was in one piece. I just wanted to get on with life."

These offences demonstrate... an emphasis of control and humiliation of his female victims

Zoe Johnson QC, prosecuting

The second attack, in 2002, saw Dixie bludgeon a woman with a chef's steel, normally used to sharpen kitchen knives, before telling her "I'm going to kill you" and molesting her.

She managed to escape when Dixie was interrupted by a man who heard her screams.

When he confessed to the crime, Dixie told police: "I was sitting there, I had a person who's unconscious next to me quiet, no one's heard anything.

"I could have done whatever I wanted to, but this person saved this woman and saved me from doing something worse."

The court heard Dixie took his victim's mobile phone during the attack and later boasted to her ex-boyfriend in a call: "I've battered her. I've battered her. I've left her by the railway."

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "It is difficult to assess, over the years, how this incident has affected me. I was determined that it would not stop me from living my life."

Sally Anne Bowman - Credit: PA
Sally Anne Bowman was raped and murdered by pub chef Mark Dixie Credit: PA

By the time Dixie was jailed for Miss Bowman's murder, he had already been convicted of charges of robbery, indecent exposure and indecent assault in the UK, while his trial heard of another horrific sex attack in Australia, where he lived for six years.

Dixie has also admitted a serious sexual assault in Spain in 2005, his barrister Andrew Mooney said.

Ms Johnson said: "We know now, having the full picture as we do now, that offending history has continued throughout Dixie's adult life until his incarceration. We know it spans a number of jurisdictions."

She said there was "an element of excitement in witnessing a victim's fear", highlighting Dixie's desire "to almost relive or reinvent" his crimes by phoning his victims, or those close to them.

"What these offences demonstrate, which is apparent in the murder of Sally Anne Bowman, is an emphasis of control and humiliation of his female victims."