Catherine Gowing murder: Why was Clive Sharp who warned of fantasy to rape and kill free to carry it out? A serial sex attacker who warned authorities of his desire to imprison, rape and kill a woman fulfilled his sick fantasy when he murdered his girlfriend's housemate and then dismembered her body. Clive Sharp, 46, had a history of violence against women stretching back more than 30 years. He had been jailed three times for vile sexual offences, starting when he was just 17 and raped a girl of 15. And while attending a treatment programme for sex offenders in the 1990s he even revealed that he fantasised about tying up a woman and then raping and murdering her. But despite the authorities knowing he posed a danger to women, he was repeatedly released back into the community - and repeatedly went on to reoffend. Years after revealing his twisted fantasy, he made it a horrifying reality when he broke into the home of veterinary surgeon Catherine Gowing, 37, in October and subjected her to a four-hour ordeal of rape and sexual abuse. He then killed her, dismembered her body and dumped parts wrapped in bin liners in locations around North Wales. Specially trained police officers and underwater divers spent nearly three weeks searching for her before the first human remains were uncovered in a shallow pond. Criminal: Sharp being taken away from Mold Crown Court to begin his prison sentence Days later more body parts were found but, despite the largest search in North Wales police history, the force has been unable to recover all of Miss Gowing's remains. Yesterday Sharp, who pleaded guilty to her murder at an earlier hearing, was sentenced to a minimum of 37 years behind bars. The court heard that at the age of 16, he had been given a supervision order for making indecent phone calls and sending indecent letters to women. A year later he was jailed for three years for the rape of a 15-year-old girl after holding a piece of glass to her neck. Eleven years later, in 1994, Sharp was jailed for three years for a sex attack on a friend's wife. And within months of his release, he was jailed for eight years for false imprisonment after tying up a woman and threatening her with a knife. Mold Crown Court heard that while attending a sex offenders" treatment programme in the 1990s he revealed he had "a long-standing fantasy of imprisoning, raping and murdering a woman." Emotional: Emma Maguire, right, the victim's sister, paid tribute to her outside Mold Crown Court yesterday Just hours before Miss Gowing's murder, he left another woman tied to a bed after she refused to take part in perverted sexual acts, the court heard. Passing sentence, the judge told Sharp: "This is a horrific, cold-hearted murder, carried out to gratify your perverted sexual desires." Following the hearing, the family of the Irish-born vet said she would always remain a "shining light." Her sister Emma added: "This man has caused my family unimaginable suffering, pain and grief and the recurring nightmare of what he did to Catherine before she died. Our parents are heartbroken. They miss her smiley face, her kindness, her compassion and the energy she exuded. She was a vibrant, wonderful woman who lived life to the full with compassion, fun, adventure and joy. Our lives will never be the same again. After the murder, Miss Gowing's mother Maureen said: "My worst nightmare was my beautiful daughter curled up somewhere with no escape. She's gone to a better place. Gone from an evil world. The court heard Miss Gowing had moved to North Wales from her native County Offaly in the Republic of Ireland to work as a vet. She shared a house with a friend, Jane Doyle, who was in a relationship with Sharp and he was a frequent visitor to their home. On the weekend of the attack, Miss Doyle had gone to visit family and friends in Ireland and Miss Gowing was alone. Sharp had been to see another woman for sex and had tied her up, but when she refused some of his sexual demands he had left her tied up and driven to Miss Gowing's house. Andrew Thomas QC, prosecuting, told the court Sharp had a history of similar sexual offences in which he indulged his fantasy of tying up, gagging and assaulting women. He said: "The fantasy was that he would tie up his victim and have sex with her as long as he wanted. The victim would then be dead - either strangled or drowned. This was a sexually-motivated murder. He murdered Miss Gowing in the middle of the night after tying her up and raping her. Mr Justice John Griffith-Williams jailed Sharp, originally from Sealand, Deeside, for a minimum of 37 years and said it would have been 42 years had he not pleaded guilty. Sharp's stepfather John Whyte, 70, who is suffering from stomach cancer, told the Daily Mail in October that his stepson had a "history of problems with women."