Robbery clue to student murders in London

[Chezzie]

The killer of two French students may have taken video games consoles and their mobile phones, detectives have revealed.

The badly burned bodies of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were found with more than 240 stab wounds.

A laptop had been stolen from the flat in Sterling Gardens, New Cross, south London six days earlier.

But police said two Sony PSP games consoles and the men's phones were also missing after the fatal attack.

Officers received 25 calls in response to their appeal for information and police have been "following these up".

Earlier Mr Bonomo's fiancee, Mary Bertez, said she would give police all the required information so he could "be avenged".

The French news agency AFP reported one woman as having seen two men banging on the window of the flat on Sunday, the day their bodies were found.

The extent of the injuries are horrific. I have never seen injuries like this throughout my career

Det Ch Insp Mick Duthie



France's shock at double murder

Det Chief Insp Mick Duthie said the men's injuries were horrific, adding it was possible they had been tortured.

A man described as white was seen running from the bedsit rented by Mr Bonomo.

There were no signs of forced entry and it is possible another set of keys was used to gain entry to the flat.

Mr Duthie told a news conference: "Everyone working on this case, including myself, has been deeply shocked by what we have seen.

"I have never seen injuries like this throughout my career."



Police appeal for information

Another line of inquiry is that their deaths could have been the result of mistaken identity.

Mr Duthie said: "We cannot find anything in these two young men's background to suggest they were involved in any criminality, that they had done anything wrong."

Miss Bertez last saw Mr Bonomo on Sunday morning.

Writing on a social networking site, she said they had "10 months of a happiness I had never experienced until then" and she would "never stop thinking about" him.

"My love, we were always together but unfortunately I wasn't there that evening," she said.



The two bodies were found in the ground-floor flat

"I will give all the required information to the investigation, my dear, so you can be avenged."

The students had been involved in a research project at Imperial College, London, and were due to return home to France later this month.

Imperial's Rector Sir Roy Anderson said the university had been left in shock by the deaths.

"Our immediate thoughts are with their families," he said.

"Laurent and Gabriel had bright futures ahead of them and it is dreadful that their lives should end so soon."

What awful end to two bright young men, here in our country as students...Makes me feel ashamed. The parents must be devastated.

Two more killers on the rampage looking for their next victims no doubt!