Chef to stand trial over model's murder

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) A chef charged with the murder of teenage model Sally Anne Bowman will stand trial next year, an Old Bailey judge said.

Father-of-three Mark Dixie, 36, is accused of indecently assaulting and killing the 18-year-old in south London last September.

He appeared in court via a video link from Belmarsh prison in southeast London and spoke only to confirm his name during the 10-minute hearing.

Judge Peter Beaumont remanded Dixie in custody for another hearing on December 15 and set a trial date for March 12.

Bowman's immediate family were not in court but the public gallery was packed with her friends.

Dixie also faces charges of indecently assaulting a woman in Purley and outraging public decency on July 15, 2001.

Bowman, who worked as a hairdresser, was killed just yards from her front door in Croydon in the early hours after she returned from a night out with friends.

Reuters DKS VP0415