MONSTER CAGED
Psychopath Mark Brown who slaughtered two missing women and torched one in an oil drum is jailed for life
A PSYCHOPATHIC killer who slaughtered two missing women and torched one in an oil drum has been jailed for life.
Mark Brown, 41, killed mum-of-three Leah Ware, 33, and Alexandra Morgan, 34, six months apart at Little Bridge Farm in Hastings.
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He then set single mum Alexandra's body alight in an oil drum near a skip where police later discovered burned bone fragments and teeth.
Leah's body has never been found but it is believed Brown also torched her in a grisly plot to cover his tracks.
After killing the mum, he texted a pal saying: "Things I've done weigh heavily on my heart, in my head and soul, a psychopath with a conscience. It's a joke really."
He has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years at Hove Crown Court.
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The families of the two victims gasped and shouted "Yes" before breaking out in spontaneous applause at the verdict.
Justice Nicholas Hilliard handed down the sentence in Brown's absence as he refused to attend court.
The judge said: "Leah Ware's personal life had been difficult before she took up with the defendant - she was addicted to drugs and had a number of mental health issues.
"The defendant knew all this. Leah was particularly vulnerable, which makes the offence more serious because it represents betrayal of the trust and security which she should expect between people in intimate relationships.
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"Contact with Alexandra Morgan began in May 2021. He was pretending to himself he was in a relationship with her in which payment for sex wasn't a factor, when it very much was
"In October he offered her a job where she could earn over £100,000 and she was going to take part in a scheme of some kind.
"She was extremely vulnerable because she was on her own at the isolated farm, beyond help.
"He successfully disposed of Leah Ware's body - exactly what happened will never be known but he intended for Alex Morgan to never leave Little Bridge Farm alive.
"No sentence I pass is any measure of the lives that have been lost. No sentence can put right what the defendant has done - that's not possible.
"Brown hasn't attended court today which shows his conscience is untroubled by what he has done."
It was just last month that the monster was convicted of two counts of murder at Hove Crown Court.
Chilling footage released by Sussex Police showed the moment cops burst through his door to arrest him.
Jurors heard how both women worked as sex workers and met Brown through the adultwork.com website.
Leah was a virtual prisoner at his farm and held in a shipping container before she disappeared on May 7, 2021.
Her disappearance came to light after police, who were searching for missing Alexandra, found a drug prescription for Leah in his work van.
In an emotional statement, Miss Ware’s mother, Rebecca Martin, said no child should have their mother taken from them in such a brutal way.
She said: "Leah was a mother of three children. No child should go through finding out what atrocities their mother has gone through. She was kind, intelligent and loving to everyone she met.
"She will leave a huge hole in her children’s lives. I have sudden surges of mental and physical pain when I realise I wont see her again. The pain is so hard to bear."
'DEVASTATING'
Her sister Zara Ware said: "Losing my sister has been the most destroying and devastating experience I can imagine. A perverted psychopath has preyed on my sister and taken advantage of her loneliness.
"She will never have the chance to see her children again. How to do you explain to children aged between six and 12 that they will never get to see their mother again?
"One of the last messages I received from Leah was: “I will always be your big sister and be there for you and protect you.’’
The court heard Miss Morgan’s parents, Jackie and Michael, had been left "devastated" by their daughter’s murder.
In letters to Judge Hilliard they spoke of the intelligence of their daughter and said her chief concern in life was to provide for her two young sons.
Reading their statement, Duncan Atkinson KC, prosecuting, said: "She was a bright, energetic young woman with a determination to succeed and a strong work ethic."
While attempting to hide the gruesome crime, Brown had picked up prescriptions for Leah from a Sainsbury's pharmacy.
Chilling footage also showed him withdrawing sums of up to £200 from her bank account while at the supermarket.
But Brown's web of lies unravelled thanks to a trail of clues Alexandra left for her sons and police that led cops to her murderer.
Alexandra had been due to meet Brown after he offered her a highly-paid job at a hotel in Brighton where he worked as security.
Realising the job may not be "above board", she left a note for her son saying "let's go rollerblading" with a box of skates found in his bedroom.
Also in the box was a large sum of cash, a mobile and a handwritten note detailing her plan to meet Brown.
The mum additionally left a location, the pin to her mobile and a note saying: "Check postcode TN34 5NY Rock Lane, opposite Bartletts".
'DANGEROUS MAN'
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Brown is a dangerous individual who poses a significant threat to women.
"He preyed on the vulnerabilities of Leah and Alex and worked to build their trust, only to then exploit it for his own personal gain.
“It was important for his sentence to truly reflect the abhorrent nature of his crimes and ensure he’s not in a position to harm any other women for the rest of his life.”
Brown was arrested on suspicion of Alexandra's murder on November 25.
Five days later, officers discovered burnt-out oil drum with teeth inside at a building site in Sevenoaks, Kent, where Brown had been working.
Hair straighteners and jewellery belonging to Alexandra were discovered in the skip where he had dumped the oil drum.
Asked if he had killed two women, Brown said he could not comment but "it depends on what they find at my yard".
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Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, added: “We hope the conviction and sentence of Mark Brown will bring some sense of justice to the families of both Alex and Leah, and allow them to come to terms with the tragic loss of their loved ones.
“Even though the court case has concluded, we are still committed to following-up all viable lines of enquiry that may help us locate Leah’s body and give her family some of the answers they so desperately want and deserve.”
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