Sally Anne Bowman's boyfriend told the Old Bailey the pair's mutual jealously caused the couple to row on the night she was killed.

Giving evidence today Lewis Sproston, from Tooting, explained how he drove the aspiring model from Croydon's Lloyd's bar to Blenheim Crescent, South Croydon, just before she was stabbed to death and sexually assaulted.

Pub chef Mark Dixie is accused of murdering the 18-year-old in the early hours of September 25.

The 37-year-old admitted yesterday he had sex with her corpse but denied he killed her.

Dixie's defence, Anthony Glass, asked Sproston: "Had you left her dead or dying?"

Mr Sproston replied: "Are you serious? No."

Mr Glass continued: "Yes I am being serious. Had you left her dead or dying?"

"No," said Mr Sproston.

Mr Glass asked: "And afraid someone had seen what had happened and seen you driving off?"

"No," said Mr Sproston.

"Because the truth is that night you had a blazing row with her in the car, hadn't you?

You were both bitterly jealous of each other," said Mr Glass.

Mr Sproston told the court he had been out with friends at The Works nightclub in Kingston but had been called to pick up Sally Anne who had been out with her sister Nicole.

He said Sally Anne and her sister had decided to lie to him, saying Nicole had been arrested by police for a bar fight to get him to drive back to Croydon.

After driving his friends to Tooting Mr Sproston returned to Croydon and picked Sally Anne up at about 2.20am.

He drove her back to her friend Donna Sherwood's house in Blenheim Crescent - where Sally Anne was staying - and the pair began to argue while in the car.

He said: "I thought she was with boys that night. She thought I was with girls. There may have been a little raised voices, but not shouting. No one outside the car would have heard us."

After Sally Anne left the car the pair continued arguing. Mr Sproston told the court he got out of the car and Sally Anne grabbed him, snapping his necklace, as she didn't want him to leave.

And to prevent him from leaving she stood in front of the car.

"I went to drive forward and she knew I was gong to leave. She went to pick up her handbag from the pavement and started to walk towards her driveway.

"The last time I saw her was at the entrance to the driveway."

The court was told yesterday after Sproston left Sally Anne was attacked in the driveway.

She was repeatedly stabbed in the abdomen and neck in such a savage attack the weapon passed through her body.

Mr Sproston, who met Sally Anne at a karaoke evening at the Mitre Hotel after her 16th birthday, told the court he and two other friends he had been out with at The Works were arrested in Tooting on suspicion of Sally Anne's murder on September 25.

The trial continues

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