Mark Brown: Killer jailed for at least 49 years over women's murders

A builder who murdered two women he met on an escort website has been jailed.

Mark Brown, 41, of St Leonards, East Sussex, killed Alexandra Morgan and Leah Ware, who went missing six months apart in 2021.

Brown, who never revealed what happened to Ms Ware, had predicted to his boss during the police investigation that he was “going down” for at least 25 years.

Judge Mr Justice Nicholas Hilliard jailed him for life and said he would serve a minimum of 49 years.

After Brown was convicted of murdering the two women in December, Judge Hillard said he was considering sentencing him to a whole-life term.

The judge had told the court if Brown wished to confirm what he had done with Ms Ware’s body, that would be something he would take into consideration ahead of sentencing.

Before the judge passed down his sentence, the court heard a victim impact statement from Ms Ware’s mother, Rebecca Martin.

She said: “He [Brown] continues to extend his sadistic torture of our family’s life by not telling us what happened to her.

“She lost her life because Mark Brown wanted to gratify his depraved desires.

“He controlled and manipulated every aspect of her life and then when he had had enough, he discarded her like a piece of dirt.”

Ms Ware’s cousin Alice Barnard told the court: “She was always the cheeky bubbly bigger cousin.

“The saddest part was that she did not know that the man she loved was pure evil.

“He had committed the worst crimes known to man and he does not deserve to walk the streets again.”

Brown, a father of one who had a long-term partner, has always maintained that he does not know where Ms Ware is, and that she is still alive.

The court also heard from Alex Morgan’s parents, who said: “She was bright and energetic, with a determination to succeed.”

“She had challenges but she was overcoming them and had hopes for her future with her two children who she adored.”

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].