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Suspect’s court admission that he was inside flat of murdered French students
Paul Cheston19 May 2009
Murder suspect Dano Sonnex today admitted for the first time that he was inside the New Cross flat where two French students were tortured and killed.
Sonnex, 23, said his co-accused Nigel Farmer told him to tie up one of the students, Gabriel Ferez, with a pair of tights while Farmer seized the other, Laurent Bonomo.
The Old Bailey heard that Mr Ferez was “edgy” and kept speaking in French while Mr Bonomo talked about his girlfriend. “My friend kept saying to him, think about your girlfriend and everything will be all right,” said Sonnex.
Sonnex, 23, today gave a new version of what happened at the scene where Mr Bonomo and fellow student Mr Ferez were bound, tortured and stabbed 244 in what prosecutors described as an “orgy of bloodletting” at Mr Bonomo's bedsit. The flat was then set alight.
Sonnex has previously never admitted being in the bedsit but said he had decided to “tell the truth” in the light of Farmer's evidence against him.
He said he had only been the lookout and had not entered the flat until after Farmer had been inside and the students, both 23, lay dead.
It is the first time jurors have heard any detail about what took place inside the flat. Sonnex described how Farmer repeatedly punched Mr Bonomo and held him face-down on the bed.
The Frenchman struggled with his attacker and spoke of his girlfriend, Marie Bertez.
“He had his hand around his neck, pushing his head into the pillow. He was aggressive saying sit down, sit down, sit down',” Sonnex said.
Earlier today, the court heard that Farmer, 34, of no fixed address kept on punching Mr Bonomo and stood “hissing”, the jury heard.
Sonnex's counsel Philip Misner said on the night of the murders in June last year, Farmer broke in and called for Sonnex to enter.
“You were hitting Laurent Bonomo with your fists and you tied up Laurent,” said the barrister. “You were hissing.” “I wasn't there,” Farmer said. Mr Misner said Farmer passed the students' bank cards and Pins to Sonnex who went to cash machines.
Sonnex said he and Farmer had been selling cocaine but were robbed and that an “angry” Farmer wanted to carry out a burglary to get the money back.
He told jurors he had changed his story because he wanted to “tell the truth and let the jury decide”. “I didn't kill those people,” said Sonnex. “But I did tie up one of those individuals.”
Sonnex, of Deptford, denies murder, false imprisonment and arson but pleads guilty to burglary. Farmer has denied all charges. The case continues.
