Dixie was found guilty of Bowman's murder by a unanimous verdict on 22 February 2008 after three hours of jury deliberation. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum of 34 years, meaning that he is unlikely to be considered for parole until at least 2040, when he will be seventy years of age. This is among the longest minimum terms ever imposed upon a single murderer in the UK. It was subsequently revealed that Dixie was already a convicted serial sex offender.