The murder of Sally Anne Bowman left senior police officers traumatised because of the pure violence and the sickening nature of the attack.

Police officers who attended the scene on September 25, 2005, have told the Croydon Guardian the sight they were faced with was one of the worst they would ever see in the line of duty.

Sally Anne's bloodied body was lying on the pavement with a trail of dried blood leading down the driveway to her body.

She had been stabbed seven times with such force that the knife passed through her body.