A twisted builder who called himself as a “psychopath with a conscience” has been sentenced to life if prison with a minimum term of 49 years for killing two escorts six months apart.
Mark Brown murdered Leah Ware in May and Alexandra Morgan at a remote farm near St Leonards in East Sussex in November 2021.
He didn't appear at Hove Crown Court court to be told he may die behind bars as his victims' families spoke of the trauma "unremorseful" Brown had inflicted on them.
The hearing continued in his absence and heard heart-breaking statements from the relatives and claps and cheers from those in the public gallery in court were heard as the sentence was handed down.
The double killer still refuses to tell the family of mum-of-three Ms Ware what he did with her body, despite a fresh plea by investigators on Thursday. He was accused of "sadistic torture" by her mourning relatives.
On failing to appear in court and not saying what he did to Leah's body, judge Mr Justice Hilliard said of Brown: "His conscience is untroubled by what he has done."
He believes the murder took place in the shipping container and that Brown “engaged in violent sexual activity with her, against her will".
Only charred teeth and bone fragments remained of single mum-of-two Ms Morgan.
He met the women through a sex work website, the was previously told. Brown put 34-year-old Ms Morgan head-first into a home-made incinerator before dumping her remains.
Prosecution believe he used a similar method to dispose of 33-year-old Ms Ware, as well as also killing her Pomeranian dog, Lady.
Miss Morgan's parents described her as a “bright and energetic young woman with a determination to succeed and a strong work ethic who had endured challenges, challenges that she was overcoming to better the lives of her children that she adored".
A statement from Leah Ware's mum Rebecca read: "Leah was only 32 with her whole life ahead of her. Who would have thought she would be taken away in such shocking and horrific circumstances.
"He continues to extend this sadistic torture to the rest of the family by not explaining what he did to her. He treated her like a piece of dirt. He has stopped her from having a proper burial. Being robbed of the chance to bury your child is intolerable.
"She was kind, generous, intelligent and loving to everyone she met."
Speaking of the tragic women's children, she said: "I absolutely dread what will go through their minds when they find out what happened to their mum.
"After hearing the evidence in court, I know Leah has now passed. What I find truly shocking is that Brown has shown no remorse for the murders of Leah or Alexandra Morgan.
"I don’t know how anyone can be so cruel as to take my daughter's life. I will make sure Leah’s children grow up knowing who their mummy was."
Zara Ware, Leah's sister, called her death the "the most destroying and devastating experience I could ever imagine".
She describes Brown as a “perverted psychopath.”
In December, the court heard Brown had told an old schoolfriend he was only interested in drop dead gorgeous brunettes, into music and cars, with at least two children and mental health issues.
The jury of 10 men and two women took 10-and-a-half hours to convict Brown of both murder charges.
Brown met Ms Ware in 2018 when he hired her as an escort and they developed an “on again, off again” relationship.
He rented a flat in Hastings and Miss Ware moved in with money she received from her benefits being paid directly to him to cover the rent.
By May 2019 Miss Ware had moved to Little Bridge Farm, first living in a caravan before moving into an old shipping container located in the barn.
She acquired two dogs, a Pomeranian called Lady and a Mastiff called Duke, as well as a horse and some goats.
The court heard Brown was very controlling of Miss Ware and would lock her into the barn when he was at work.
He killed her on or around May 7 last year after tensions grew when she pressed him to leave his partner of 14 years, Lisa Clark, who he was "persistently" unfaithful to, the court heard.
The jury was told that after Miss Ware went missing Brown went to great lengths to try to make it appear she was still alive and well.
He continued to pick up a prescription from her doctor's for medication she used to treat her mental health.
Brown also continued to use her bank card to withdraw money out of Miss Ware's bank account.
He then hired Alexandra Morgan for sex around a dozen times before offering her an escorting job worth £100,000 in October 2021.
When she visited Little Bridge Farm, the site he rented, the following month, he killed her and burned her body in an incinerator made from an oil drum.
He then dumped her remains in a skip at the building site where he worked in Sevenoaks, Kent.
Brown claimed she died in an accident at the farm after hitting her head when she slipped in his workshop and he burned her body “in a panic”.
His Honour Judge Nicholas Hilliard KC told Brown: “If he wishes to confirm what he had done with Leah Ware’s body, he has that chance.”
“With Alexandra Morgan, if he lied about why she was being lured to the farm, the question is what his plans were.
“They must have involved violence and sexual activity against her will and for some time."
Speaking after the guilty verdicts, Libby Clark of the CPS said: "This is a tragic case where two women - Alex Morgan and Leah Ware - were murdered and treated with utter disregard and cruelty at the hands of Mark Brown."
Timeline of key dates in the case:
2021
– May 6: Last confirmed sighting of Leah Ware by anyone other than Brown
– May 7: Police believe this was the day Ms Ware died
– May 20: Brown rejoins the AdultWork website, which he used to meet Ms Ware in 2018.
– June 8: Brown meets Alexandra Morgan for sex at her home in Sissinghurst, near Cranbrook, Kent
– June 13: Brown messages old school friend Elizabeth Howard: “I’m going to be very careful how I word this – it happened again, not very long ago when disposing of something.
"It’s a very unpleasant thing to do – an old oil drum, five litres of diesel, and hey presto, there’s not very much left.
"It gets hot, very hot, it glows almost white. The things I have done weigh heavily on my heart, on my head and my soul.
"A psychopath with a conscience – it’s a joke really.”
– June 21: Brown meets Ms Morgan at Little Bridge Farm for sex – and again on seven more occasions during August and September.
– October 23: Over WhatsApp, Brown offers Ms Morgan an escorting job paying up to £100,000.
– November 13: Ms Morgan’s parents collect her son and dog to allow her to go on a trip for four days. She tells family members she is going on a spa weekend with a friend but is in fact meeting Brown for sex at Little Bridge Farm.
– November 14: Ms Morgan leaves home and is seen buying fuel on CCTV at Ashwal Garage in Cranbrook at 7.20am.
Ms Morgan is killed by Brown and he destroys her remains by burning her body in a homemade incinerator.
– November 17: Brown and an associate move Ms Morgan’s car. Ms Morgan fails to return to her parents to pick up her son and dog as planned.
– November 18: Ms Morgan is reported missing by her mother.
– November 20: Kent Police’s Major Crime Unit commences an investigation.
– November 23: Kent Police interview Brown, take DNA and fingerprints. He admits to meeting Ms Morgan for sex but said she left after 45 minutes.
– November 25: Brown is arrested on suspicion of Ms Morgan’s murder.
– December 8: Believing Ms Ware has been killed, Sussex Police change their missing person case into a murder probe.
2022
– January 7: Bones belonging to a Pomeranian dog are found. Police believe Ms Ware and Lady died at the farm on the same day.
– February 1: Brown is charged with Ms Ware’s murder.
– February 4: Brown appears at Lewes Crown Court charged with both murders. He pleads not guilty to the murder of Ms Morgan but, after the discovery of her remains, he admits to destroying her body with fire – claiming she fell and died on the farm in an accident.
– March 25: Brown denies Ms Ware’s murder.
– October 17: Brown’s trial begins at Hove Crown Court.
– November 29: The jury retires to consider its verdict.
– December 1: The jury of 10 men and two women find Brown guilty of murder.
2023
– January 13: Brown sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 49 years.
