The murder of Sally Anne Bowman - a heartache that never fades away

Sally Anne Bowman was born September 11, 1987 to parents Paul and Linda Bowman. From a young age she wanted to be a star.

Sally Anne attended the Brit School, a school in Croydon, London. She had everything going for her. She was beautiful and talented. She would often take on karaoke nights at the local pub. Her dream was to one day be on the cover of Vogue and to be as famous as Kate Moss.

On Reddit mybelovedx said: ''I’m sure this has been posted plenty before. I’m posting about this case because I hold a personal connection. My uncle dated Sally’s sister, so I feel extra connected to the case. She was born in the same hospital as me, went to the same school as people I know, and died so close to where I live now. Hell, my uncle went to her house often, and other family knew her well. My mum was friends with her sister.''

Another user on Reddit ExtremeExtension9 wrote: ''I was the same age as her when this happened and also attended college in Croydon. There was a lot of worry that the killer was targeting blond women and I remember the college informing girls not to be out alone at night. Definitely a sigh of relief when the murder was solved.''

By 2004, Sally Anne had left school and was working part time as a hairdresser. She became the face of Swatch, a watch brand, being part of their 2005 fashion week, and quickly got signed by an agency, Pulse Model Management. She was close to achieving her goals to be on the cover of Vogue.

September 24, 2005. It was a Saturday evening. Sally Anne had just had her 18th birthday and was determined to celebrate it. Leaving her mother’s house, Sally Anne was picked up by her sister at 6:05pm.

Sally Anne, at this time, was dating a young man named Lewis Sproston. Lewis was also out partying in Kingston, a 30-minute drive away. The pair were on again-off again, and this night they had been arguing, as Sally Anne feared Lewis was out partying with other girls, and Lewis believed Sally Anne would be flirting with other boys while out.

At 10pm, Sally Anne, her sister, and her friends arrive at Lloyds Bar. They stayed here, drinking and partying until 1am, September 25. Sally Anne waited outside the bar for 15 minutes until a cab picked her up and dropped her at her friend’s house.

At 2:30am, Sally Anne called Lewis, her boyfriend. She explained that her sister had been arrested for fighting, and requested he pick her up from Croydon Town Centre, which he agreed to.

On the drive home, the pair argue incessantly. Whilst they arrive at Sally Anne’s home in Blenheim Crescent, South Croydon in around 10 minutes, they sit outside her flat in the car arguing for a further two hours, accusing each other of infidelity. They are not even 10 yards away from Sally Anne’s front door.

After this argument, Sally Anne furiously exits the car. Lewis immediately drives off. He figured Sally Anne will be fine, given she is not even a minute’s walk from her doorstep.

At 4:15am, a man closes in on Sally Anne. Armed with a knife, he stabs her seven times, in the neck and in the stomach. He then brutally rapes her as she lay either already dead or close to it. He took her handbag, her cardigan, her underwear and her phone before fleeing the scene. He also bit her, hard.

It was not until 6:30am that a neighbour finds Sally Anne, lying dead in a pool of her own blood, so close to the safety of her flat. Lewis was the prime suspect. It was a known fact he had been with Sally Anne only minutes before her death. He is questioned first on Sunday afternoon and, suspiciously, upon entering he asks ‘Is this about last night?’.

Lewis is held for four days whilst the DNA from Sally Anne’s body is processed. However, they find it isn’t a match, and Lewis is free to leave.

On June 16, 2006, 35 year-old Croydon local Mark Dixie is watching the football world cup at a local bar. Having been drinking, he’s already in a bad mood. A man accidentally spills a drink over Dixie, prompting a fight, in which he forces the man outside and begins to push him.

A poor mistake, as two police officers happen to be patrolling. He is arrested and taken to Crawley police station. He gives them all accurate information about himself. His name, his occupation, his address. During this, he remains eerily calm. He was let go with caution.

Quickly, police checked his DNA against local crimes for any further potential crime links. And of course, they were blown away when a match showed. They had let Sally Anne Bowman’s murderer free.

Luckily, Dixie had not lied about where he worked. Two weeks after his arrest for fighting, police showed up as his workplace and arrested him on suspicion of murder.

Again, he seemed completely calm. A police officer would later state his heart rate did not change at all during questioning. Still appearing cold and emotionless Dixie answers ‘no comment’ to every question asked.

On closer inspection of his room, police make a sickening discovery. They find he has been masturbating to photos and video footage of Sally Anne Bowman, her modelling photos and videos and images posted by media following her death.

Dixie today is in jail for her murder. The agony that the family of Sally Anne experiences day by day never fades, but we all hope they will find solace in her memory.