The New Cross double murder occurred on 29 June 2008. Two French research students, Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, were stabbed to death in

New Cross New Cross is an area in south-east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the London_postal_district#List_of_London_postal_districts, SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, London, St Jo ...

, in the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, England. It forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The ...

in South East London, England.

Murders

The victims were bound, gagged, and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

d over several hours; they died after being stabbed 196 and 47 times, respectively. The bodies were discovered by

firefighters A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

in a flat in which a fire had been started deliberately. The flat, rented by Laurent Bonomo, was in Sterling Gardens,

, in South East London. A

post mortem An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death; ...

exam at Greenwich Mortuary showed both died from wounds to the head, neck and chest before the fire took hold. A

petrol Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...

-like

accelerant Accelerants, or accelerators, are substances that increase the rate of a natural or artificial chemical process. They play a major role in chemistry, as most chemical reactions can be hastened with an accelerant. Understanding accelerants is cr ...

was poured upon their bodies.

Victims

Both victims were

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

students in their third year of a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

at Polytech Clermont-Ferrand university in France, who were on a three-month

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

research project exchange programme at

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

. Bonomo was from

Velaux Velaux (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is near Coudoux and Ventabren. Velaux is an old Provençal village set on a hill overlooking the high plains of the inland west side of Aix. It is locate ...

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

in southern France; Ferez from Prouzel,

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

in northern France.

Investigation

It was established that the victims'

bank card A bank card is typically a plastic card issued by a bank to its clients that performs one or more of a number of services that relate to giving the client access to a bank account. Physically, a bank card will usually have the client's name, th ...

s and two

Sony PSP The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

handheld game console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the con ...

s were missing, and it was believed they were stolen by the killers. Prior to the events, on 23 June 2008, the same flat was burgled and a

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

was stolen. The Metropolitan Police announced on 5 July 2008 the arrest of a 21-year-old man, who was released on the afternoon of 6 July without further action.

E-fit

On 6 July 2008 police issued an image of the murders' main suspect, based on the descriptions of witnesses who had seen him running away from Sterling Gardens just after 22:00 BST. He was described as "white, 30 to 40 years of age, of slight or slim build and wearing light coloured baseball cap, a dark top with the word "Junfan" on, blue jeans and white trainers". Ferez's parents Françoise and Olivier, of Prouzel, appealed: "Please help us to reveal the truth. Help us to know, to understand and to come to terms with our loss." They also stated: "Rest assured that we will not leave you in peace; and you will not be able to live in hiding forever." DCI Mick Duthie stated: "I also want to reiterate an appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious throughout that day, last Sunday, June 29. Just to repeat what we know: Laurent spoke to his fiancée around 01:00 BST on the Sunday morning. After that, no-one heard from Laurent or Gabriel or saw them. It is important to stress that the attack could have taken place at any time during Sunday."

Second arrest and charge

Police held in custody 33-year-old Nigel Edward Farmer who handed himself in to police at Lewisham Police Station. He was later taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. The thin 33-year-old man whose face and hands were badly burned had walked into Lewisham Police Station, apparently to confess to being the killer. He was told to wait in line at the reception by a civilian worker for five minutes. A witness reported him saying "I've got third degree fucking burns and they are not doing anything about it." He was released from hospital and interviewed in custody by the police. Meanwhile, 600 students, on 7 July demonstrated against the murders in

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

, France. The group led by Mayor Serge Godart, included teachers, local residents and children that carried a huge banner ''"Pour Lolo et Gab"'' ("For Lolo and Gab").

Inquest

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

Magistrates' Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several Jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) ...

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, on the afternoon of 8 July, granted the police's request for an extension of the investigation, by issuing a 36 hours "warrant of further detention." Accordingly,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Coroner's Court's Doreen Lawrence adjourned the

coroner's inquest A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

for 28 days pending police inquiries.

Court appearance and other arrests

On 10 July, Nigel Edward Farmer, unemployed and without fixed address, was charged with both murders, arson and

attempting to pervert the course of justice Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Statu ...

when he appeared before Greenwich Magistrates' Court. Bench chairman Phil Rogers ordered his remand in custody until 16 October for his appearance at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

. Wearing a white

sweatshirt A sweatshirt is a long-sleeved pullover shirt or jacket fashioned out of thick, usually cotton, cloth material. Sweatshirts are almost exclusively casual attire and hence not as formal as some sweaters. Sweatshirts may or may not have a hood. A s ...

, a tracksuit top with rolled up sleeves and white tracksuit bottoms, and his head shaved, he stood in the dock with two security guards. No application for bail was filed. On 11 July 2008 it was reported by

ITN Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based media production and broadcast journalism company. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, New York City, New York, Paris, Sydney and Washin ...

that another man had been arrested in connection with the murders. Armed police arrested Daniel "Dano" Sonnex, 23, in

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

, south-east London, after

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

issued an alert to trace him. Described as "extremely dangerous" he was detained and investigated after his brother, Bernard, 35 and a woman, 25, handed themselves to the police. Sonnex had been previously detained regarding serious, violent incidents. His parents, Kathleen and Bernard live in a terraced house in New Cross. Sonnex, 23, from Peckham, was charged on 12 July 2008 with murder and perverting the course of justice. He appeared at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

Magistrates' Court on 14 July. Sonnex's brother, Bernard, 35, and a woman, aged 25, had been released on

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

, to return in July and August, respectively, pending further investigation. Police were also granted more time to question a man of 23 on the murders. Dano Sonnex appeared before Wimbledon magistrates and was back in custody until 20 October to appear at the Old Bailey. The trial of Daniel Sonnex and Nigel Farmer began on 24 April 2009 at the Old Bailey. The jury began to consider their verdict on 29 May 2009. Moving impact statements were given by the prosecutor. On 4 June 2009 Sonnex and Farmer were found guilty of murder, Sonnex was

sentenced Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005. Lead guitarist Miika Tenkula was the band's vocalist for the first album, but du ...

to serve a minimum of 40 years in prison, and Farmer was ordered to stay behind bars for at least 35 years. Sonnex should have been in prison at the time of the murders but had been set free due to an administrative error. David Scott, the chief officer of London Probation,

resign Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

ed in March 2009 after an investigation began into why Sonnex had not been recalled to prison. While the UK Justice Secretary

Jack Straw John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretar ...

apologised to the families over the blunders which left Sonnex free to commit the crime; the families announced their intentions to commence legal proceedings against the authorities.

References

{{Murders in the United Kingdom in the 2000s 2008 in international relations 2008 in London 2008 murders in the United Kingdom 2000s murders in London 2000s trials Building and structure arson attacks in London Arson in 2008 Attacks on buildings and structures in 2008 Burglaries in the United Kingdom Deaths by person in London France–United Kingdom relations History of the London Borough of Lewisham June 2008 crimes in Europe June 2008 in the United Kingdom Murder trials in the United Kingdom Double murder Robberies in London Stabbing attacks in London Stabbing attacks in 2008 Trials in London Residential building arson attacks in England