The man accused of murdering Croydon teen Sally Anne Bowman spent the night before her death drinking with friends and doing three lines of cocaine, the Old Bailey heard today.

Chef Mark Dixie, 37, had returned from a camping trip in Kent with two female friends and stopped at the Toby Carvery pub on the way back to Croydon on September 24, 2005 - his 35th birthday.

Prosecutor Brian Altman told the court Dixie's two companions had reported he was upset because his girlfriend had not mentioned his birthday then refused to come out for a drink.

Mr Altman told the court Dixie had been drinking pints at the pub before doing two lines of cocaine then heading to one of the women's houses in Avondale Road, South Croydon.

Mr Altman said the house was not far from where Sally Anne Bowman was found dead in a pool of blood in Blenheim Crescent in the early hours of the next day.

The court was earlier told of Sally Anne's movements in the evening before her death.

Mr Altman said the teen had borrowed money from her boyfriend to go out in Croydon with her sister Nicole.

Sally Anne had had a bath at the house in Blenheim Crescent where she was renting a room before getting dressed and heading out to Lloyd's Bar.

She met her sister there about 10pm while her boyfriend borrowed his dad's VW Passatt car and drove his friends to bars in Kingston.

Sally Anne and her sister decided later in the evening they wanted to be picked up but her boyfriend Lewis wasn't answering her calls or texts.

The pair then decided to pretend Nicole had been arrested for fighting in a bar and called Lewis for help.

By the time Lewis agreed to pick Sally Anne up, she had already left for a friend's house.

Rather than be caught out, she caught a cab back to Croydon and was picked up by Lewis there.

The pair then drove to Blenheim Crescent, but had an argument in the car before Lewis drove off.

Mr Altman said Lewis had told police he had seen Sally Anne walking not far from her home.

The trial continues.

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