Sally Anne Bowman's mother today spoke of her anger at Spanish police after discovering that they had a chance to catch her daughter's killer years before he murdered her. Indisputable DNA evidence has emerged that links Mark Dixie, currently serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of 18-year-old Sally in Croydon, to a rape and two sex assaults in the Costa Del Sol in 2003. A Dutchman was jailed for the crimes in 2005 without forensic evidence. His lawyer strongly believes he was wrongly convicted. Tragic: Linda Bowman (right) has expressed her anger at the Spanish police, who she believes could have apprehended Mark Dixie before he murdered her daughter, Sally (left), if they'd used DNA evidence . Linda Bowman says she is dismayed at the thought that if the Spanish authorities had investigated the case more thoroughly, her daughter might still be alive. She told MailOnline: 'I am absolutely appalled. An innocent man has spent 11 years of a 16 year sentence in prison for a crime he did not do. 'I feel very strongly that if the Spanish authorities had done their jobs properly, my Sally Anne would be alive. 'He did not assault those three women in Spain - Sally Anne's killer did. He is someone's son and he is locked up for something he didn't do.' The man serving time for the attacks in Spain is 41-year-old Romano Van der Dussen. He's served 11 years of a 16-year sentence for the crimes, despite forensic evidence linking Dixie to the rape emerging almost eight years ago, after Interpol sent his DNA to police forces across Europe. Official documents – seen by MailOnline – show that DNA found on the Spanish rape victim in an examination straight after the attack, match a DNA profile for Dixie on Interpol's Veritas database. DNA evidence has emerged linking Mark Dixie (left), serving life for the 2005 murder of Sally Anne Bowman, to a rape and two sex assaults in the Costa Del Sol in 2003 that Romano Van der Dussen (right) was jailed for . Yet Spanish authorities refuse to accept the miniscule 54 million-to-one chance that a DNA profile from the sex attack did not match one of Dixie supplied to Interpol by Scotland Yard. They have requested a fresh DNA sample from Dixie so more tests can be carried out - before they release Romano. In April this year a Spanish court sent an international letter of request to the Home office requesting a saliva sample from Dixie to confirm the DNA match as 'a matter of urgency.' In the event of Dixie refusing to supply a profile, the court has asked that the Spanish rape DNA sample is run through the UK National DNA Database to compare with genetic codes held on Dixie. But Romano's lawyers say they have heard nothing since then and Romano is now facing the prospect of another five years in a Spanish jail for a crime he did not commit. Desperate Romano is now urging the British government to intervene and hand over the DNA so his conviction can be quashed. Linda said: 'When the DNA was found on Sally Anne it was sent to Holland, Australia, Spain and all over. 'If the Spanish police and judges had done the same, they would have got him. 'If they had done their work properly, they would have taken proper DNA from the three victims in 2003 and done what we did. It gets me choked thinking about it... even saying that thing's name.' She added: 'I have campaigned so much about DNA and the national database. To me, this is all about the DNA. Dixie was caught nine months after 18-year-old Sally Ann's murder when DNA taken from him after a minor pub scuffle was matched to the crime . 'It can incriminate people but it can also eliminate people. 'We are born with a birth certificate, we have a national insurance number and a passport number - why can't we all have our DNA taken at birth too? 'This would not have happened. My child would still be here. I am so angry.' Dixie was living in Fuengirola, on the Costa Del Sol, when the Spanish victim was raped in August 2003 in startling similar circumstances to Sally's murder in Croydon, South London. Spanish court documents, obtained by MailOnline, describe how in the early hours of the 10 August 2003, two women were robbed and sexually assaulted in the street in Fuengirola, southern Spain. The attacker then carried on his crime spree – targeting a third female victim who was walking along the street in he Costa del Sol town at around 4:30am. He leapt on her, hit her several times before throwing her on the floor and raping her. The case bears chilling similarities to Dixie's rampage on September 25, 2005 - the night stunning blonde model Sally Anne was stabbed to death and raped. After downing drinks and snorting cocaine with friends in Croydon, Dixie is believed to have attacked a female motorist and stolen her mobile phone. He then watched Sally Anne being dropped home by her boyfriend Lewis Sprotson at around 4.10am before stabbing her in the neck and chest and having sex with her as she lay dead on her doorstep. Romano's lawyers say their client is innocent of the Spanish crimes and was mistakenly convicted solely on 'inconsistent' statements from the victims who identified him from photos. He was convicted solely on eyewitness testimony - no DNA or fingerprints linked Romano to the crimes. It is believed Romano may have been the victim of mistaken identity as he bears a striking resemblance to the Dixie – with the same brown curly hair and thick eyebrows. In 2007, his lawyer in Spain discovered that DNA found on the rape victim 'was compatible' with that of Dixie's DNA profile on Interpol database. But despite years of legal wrangling, the Spanish courts said they would not order a retrial or acquit Romano until they receive a saliva sample from Dixie – so that his DNA can be tested more throughly alongside the rape victim's. Sally Anne Bowman on her 18th birthday in Kos with boyfriend Lewis Sprotson . So far Dixie has not given this sample so Romano's last hope is that the Home Office agrees to share Dixie's DNA profile from the UK's national database with the Spanish authorities. Romano's lawyer in Spain Silvio Garcia Sierra, told MailOnline: 'We are waiting for the British authorities to answer to this request, meanwhile Romano is in prison for a crime that all the evidence shows he has not committed. I requested the suspension of the sentence to the Supreme Court, which was not granted because the court did not accept my request. 'The court in Fuengirola, which is leading the case of DNA and other proceedings, is working flawlessly, but we are in the hands of the British authorities, which are in no hurry to forward any DNA testing of Dixie to the Spanish courts.' He added: 'This conviction was based solely on the statements of victims through photographic reconnaissance and recognition in the trial, without any evidence to DNA or fingerprints on the scene. 'Despite the inconsistencies in the statements of victims and witnesses who claimed to have witnessed one of the assaults from a balcony, the court sentenced for these crimes.' Romano, meanwhile, said he has had to endure 'years of torment' while serving his sentence in Palma prison, Majorca. A Dutch charity named the Prison Law Foundation has been campaigning for Romano's release. Dixie was caught nine months after 18-year-old Sally Anne's murder when DNA taken from him after a minor pub scuffle was matched to the crime. He was jailed for life and told he must serve at least 34 years behind bars. The chef was a serial sex offender and detectives have long believed he is responsible for more sex attacks and even murders. At age 16 he was charged with indecent assault after holding a woman a knifepoint and fondling her breasts. Just a year later he was jailed for six months after attacking a mum-of-three. At his murder trial, a Thai woman gave evidence about how Dixie had stabbed and raped her at her home in Subiaco, Western Australia in 1998. Campaign: Linda Bowman wants the DNA of every British citizen to be added to a national database as soon as they're born . The killer's DNA matches that left at the scene of a sexual assault in 2001, where he is believed to have masturbated in front of a woman in a telephone booth. Dixie has also been a prime suspect in one of the notorious unsolved murder cases in Australia - the Claremont killings between 1996 and 1997, as it is believed he was in the area at the time of the killings. The Home Office has so far declined to comment on the case.
Linda Bowman has spoken of her anger over the work of Spanish police .
She said they missed a chance to arrest the man who killed her daughter in Croydon in 2005 .
DNA evidence emerged linking Mark Dixie to the sex assaults carried out in Spain in 2003 .
However, a Dutchman has spent 11 years behind bars for the attacks after he was jailed on eye witness testimony .
Bowman says forensic evidence would have led to Dixie's arrest .
Sally Anne Bowman's mother today spoke of her anger at Spanish police after discovering that they had a chance to catch her daughter's killer years before he murdered her. Indisputable DNA evidence has emerged that links Mark Dixie, currently serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of 18-year-old Sally in Croydon, to a rape and two sex assaults in the Costa Del Sol in 2003. A Dutchman was jailed for the crimes in 2005 without forensic evidence. His lawyer strongly believes he was wrongly convicted. Tragic: Linda Bowman (right) has expressed her anger at the Spanish police, who she believes could have apprehended Mark Dixie before he murdered her daughter, Sally (left), if they'd used DNA evidence . Linda Bowman says she is dismayed at the thought that if the Spanish authorities had investigated the case more thoroughly, her daughter might still be alive. She told MailOnline: 'I am absolutely appalled. An innocent man has spent 11 years of a 16 year sentence in prison for a crime he did not do. 'I feel very strongly that if the Spanish authorities had done their jobs properly, my Sally Anne would be alive. 'He did not assault those three women in Spain - Sally Anne's killer did. He is someone's son and he is locked up for something he didn't do.' The man serving time for the attacks in Spain is 41-year-old Romano Van der Dussen. He's served 11 years of a 16-year sentence for the crimes, despite forensic evidence linking Dixie to the rape emerging almost eight years ago, after Interpol sent his DNA to police forces across Europe. Official documents – seen by MailOnline – show that DNA found on the Spanish rape victim in an examination straight after the attack, match a DNA profile for Dixie on Interpol's Veritas database. DNA evidence has emerged linking Mark Dixie (left), serving life for the 2005 murder of Sally Anne Bowman, to a rape and two sex assaults in the Costa Del Sol in 2003 that Romano Van der Dussen (right) was jailed for . Yet Spanish authorities refuse to accept the miniscule 54 million-to-one chance that a DNA profile from the sex attack did not match one of Dixie supplied to Interpol by Scotland Yard. They have requested a fresh DNA sample from Dixie so more tests can be carried out - before they release Romano. In April this year a Spanish court sent an international letter of request to the Home office requesting a saliva sample from Dixie to confirm the DNA match as 'a matter of urgency.' In the event of Dixie refusing to supply a profile, the court has asked that the Spanish rape DNA sample is run through the UK National DNA Database to compare with genetic codes held on Dixie. But Romano's lawyers say they have heard nothing since then and Romano is now facing the prospect of another five years in a Spanish jail for a crime he did not commit. Desperate Romano is now urging the British government to intervene and hand over the DNA so his conviction can be quashed. Linda said: 'When the DNA was found on Sally Anne it was sent to Holland, Australia, Spain and all over. 'If the Spanish police and judges had done the same, they would have got him. 'If they had done their work properly, they would have taken proper DNA from the three victims in 2003 and done what we did. It gets me choked thinking about it... even saying that thing's name.' She added: 'I have campaigned so much about DNA and the national database. To me, this is all about the DNA. Dixie was caught nine months after 18-year-old Sally Ann's murder when DNA taken from him after a minor pub scuffle was matched to the crime . 'It can incriminate people but it can also eliminate people. 'We are born with a birth certificate, we have a national insurance number and a passport number - why can't we all have our DNA taken at birth too? 'This would not have happened. My child would still be here. I am so angry.' Dixie was living in Fuengirola, on the Costa Del Sol, when the Spanish victim was raped in August 2003 in startling similar circumstances to Sally's murder in Croydon, South London. Spanish court documents, obtained by MailOnline, describe how in the early hours of the 10 August 2003, two women were robbed and sexually assaulted in the street in Fuengirola, southern Spain. The attacker then carried on his crime spree – targeting a third female victim who was walking along the street in he Costa del Sol town at around 4:30am. He leapt on her, hit her several times before throwing her on the floor and raping her. The case bears chilling similarities to Dixie's rampage on September 25, 2005 - the night stunning blonde model Sally Anne was stabbed to death and raped. After downing drinks and snorting cocaine with friends in Croydon, Dixie is believed to have attacked a female motorist and stolen her mobile phone. He then watched Sally Anne being dropped home by her boyfriend Lewis Sprotson at around 4.10am before stabbing her in the neck and chest and having sex with her as she lay dead on her doorstep. Romano's lawyers say their client is innocent of the Spanish crimes and was mistakenly convicted solely on 'inconsistent' statements from the victims who identified him from photos. He was convicted solely on eyewitness testimony - no DNA or fingerprints linked Romano to the crimes. It is believed Romano may have been the victim of mistaken identity as he bears a striking resemblance to the Dixie – with the same brown curly hair and thick eyebrows. In 2007, his lawyer in Spain discovered that DNA found on the rape victim 'was compatible' with that of Dixie's DNA profile on Interpol database. But despite years of legal wrangling, the Spanish courts said they would not order a retrial or acquit Romano until they receive a saliva sample from Dixie – so that his DNA can be tested more throughly alongside the rape victim's. Sally Anne Bowman on her 18th birthday in Kos with boyfriend Lewis Sprotson . So far Dixie has not given this sample so Romano's last hope is that the Home Office agrees to share Dixie's DNA profile from the UK's national database with the Spanish authorities. Romano's lawyer in Spain Silvio Garcia Sierra, told MailOnline: 'We are waiting for the British authorities to answer to this request, meanwhile Romano is in prison for a crime that all the evidence shows he has not committed. I requested the suspension of the sentence to the Supreme Court, which was not granted because the court did not accept my request. 'The court in Fuengirola, which is leading the case of DNA and other proceedings, is working flawlessly, but we are in the hands of the British authorities, which are in no hurry to forward any DNA testing of Dixie to the Spanish courts.' He added: 'This conviction was based solely on the statements of victims through photographic reconnaissance and recognition in the trial, without any evidence to DNA or fingerprints on the scene. 'Despite the inconsistencies in the statements of victims and witnesses who claimed to have witnessed one of the assaults from a balcony, the court sentenced for these crimes.' Romano, meanwhile, said he has had to endure 'years of torment' while serving his sentence in Palma prison, Majorca. A Dutch charity named the Prison Law Foundation has been campaigning for Romano's release. Dixie was caught nine months after 18-year-old Sally Anne's murder when DNA taken from him after a minor pub scuffle was matched to the crime. He was jailed for life and told he must serve at least 34 years behind bars. The chef was a serial sex offender and detectives have long believed he is responsible for more sex attacks and even murders. At age 16 he was charged with indecent assault after holding a woman a knifepoint and fondling her breasts. Just a year later he was jailed for six months after attacking a mum-of-three. At his murder trial, a Thai woman gave evidence about how Dixie had stabbed and raped her at her home in Subiaco, Western Australia in 1998. Campaign: Linda Bowman wants the DNA of every British citizen to be added to a national database as soon as they're born . The killer's DNA matches that left at the scene of a sexual assault in 2001, where he is believed to have masturbated in front of a woman in a telephone booth. Dixie has also been a prime suspect in one of the notorious unsolved murder cases in Australia - the Claremont killings between 1996 and 1997, as it is believed he was in the area at the time of the killings. The Home Office has so far declined to comment on the case.
they had a chance to catch her daughter's killer 2003. A Dutchman was jailed for the crimes in 2005 without forensic evidence. His lawyer anger at the Spanish police, who she believes could have apprehended Mark Dixie before he used DNA evidence . Linda Bowman says she is An innocent man has spent 11 years of a 16 year the attacks in Spain is 41-year-old Romano Van database. DNA evidence has emerged linking Mark carried out - before they release Romano. In behind bars. The chef was a serial sex offender