Friends and family of Sally Anne Bowman gathered around her grave to celebrate what would have been her 19th birthday.

In an emotional setting, grieving mum Linda was joined by Sally Anne's three sisters, her boyfriend Lewis Sproston and friends on the day-long picnic at Croydon Crematorium where her ashes were buried.

Linda, 44, described the day as "tearful and difficult" but said it was a fitting tribute to the aspiring model, who was sexually assaulted and knifed to death just days after her 18th birthday last September.

Linda spent most of Monday at the grave, with only a short break to see her four-year-old grandson off for his first day at school.

She said: "We had to explain to him what was going on and why we were all at Sally Anne's grave.

"He came along after school and told us all that his auntie has wings now, which made us all cry.

"If Sally was still here, she would have been in Walkabout bar dancing the night away. She would have had it all planned weeks ago.

"Her dad even got a plastic pint glass and a can of beer and had a toast to her before we left, she would have liked that."

  • Pub chef Mark Dixie, 35, has been charged with Sally Anne's murder and is due to appear in court next month.