TWO French students found dead following a flat fire had suffered up to 250 injuries after being tied up and tortured in a horrific attack, it was revealed yesterday.
Laurent Bonomo, 23, was stabbed almost 200 times with up to 100 injuries inflicted after he was already dead, sources said.
His close friend, Gabriel Ferez, 23, suffered around 50 injuries during a long ordeal, which ended with an explosion at th
e bedsit in London.
Sources said both men were unable to move after being bound and gagged some time before 10pm on Sunday.
Investigators believe an accelerant was poured on or near their bodies, possibly in a bid to destroy evidence.
The two young men are believed to have been playing a computer game together when they were attacked by one or more men in New Cross in south-east London.
Detectives believe a burglary at the rented flat six days earlier could be linked to the double murder. They said there was no evidence of forced entry and a set of keys may have been used, enabling an attacker to surprise his victims.
Detective Chief Inspector Mick Duthie told a press conference at Scotland Yard: "I have never seen injuries inflicted to bodies like this before."
Mr Duthie said one line of inquiry was that the attack was a case of mistaken identity.
The detective said no weapon has been recovered during extensive searches in the area and both men must have suffered a lengthy ordeal. Both victims were found lying in the living area of the ground-floor bedsit.
There was a strong smell of an accelerant used to ignite the fire. The flat was secure and firefighters had to force their way inside, he said.
"The extent of the injuries is horrific. Everyone working on this case, including myself, has been deeply shocked by what we have seen," added Mr Duthie.
Police are hunting a white man seen running from the flats shortly after the explosion, but officers have not ruled out that others might have been involved.
Mr Duthie said: "I would not say this was a professional attack. I would say it was a frenzied, horrible, horrific attack. I imagine it would take some considerable time to inflict the injuries."
Mr Bonomo was known to be alive in the early hours of Sunday when he spoke to his girlfriend.
Police said Mr Bonomo, of Velaux, and Mr Ferez, of Prouzel, were due to return home later this month. They were spending the summer working on research at Imperial College's life sciences department.
The full article contains 436 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
