He was one of three men found guilty of murdering homeless women in Nottingham between December 2004 and January 2005. Mark Martin aged 26, was jailed for life at Nottingham Crown Court for strangling Zoe Pennick, 26, Ellen Frith, 25 and Katie Baxter, 18. Martin, who took the lead in the killings with two other men, had said he had wanted to become the city's first serial killer. Dean Carr was found guilty of murdering Ms Frith, as was John Ashley who was also convicted of killing Ms Baxter. Ashley aged 34, who was known as "Cockney John", was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison for his part in the murders. He was cleared of murdering Zoe Pennick. The bodies of Miss Pennick and Miss Baxter, who went missing within days of each other between Christmas and New Year of 2004, they were found six days apart in the same warehouse in Nottingham, Martin had partially buried them under building rubble. Miss Frith's badly burned body was discovered by a fire crew in a flat in Marple Square, in the St Ann's area of Nottingham, on 24th January 2005. Martin had strangled her following an argument about drug money. He then set fire to the building. Martin did not give evidence in court and made no reaction as the jury returned guilty verdicts.
Passing sentence, Mr. Justice Butterfield told the 26-year-old: "The facts of these crimes are so horrific and the level of offending is so serious, you must be kept in prison for the rest of your life. These matters were committed by you because you positively enjoyed killing, taking the wholly innocent lives of these three young women for your own perverted gratification. You have not shown a moment of remorse. You have revelled in what you did, glorifying the macabre details of these senseless, brutal and callous killings."
