Laurent Bonomo & Gabriel Ferez
In June 2008, French biochemistry students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez were brutally tortured and murdered in their New Cross, London flat by Dano Sonnex and Nigel Farmer during a botched burglary. The perpetrators were later convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, with authorities acknowledging administrative oversights that allowed one of the killers to remain free at the time of the crime.
Victim: Laurent Bonomo, 23 & Gabriel Ferez, 23
Perpetrator: Dano Sonnex, 23 & Nigel Farmer, 33
Date of Incident: 29 June 2008
Location: New Cross, South London
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​Key Details:
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Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, French biochemistry students, were interning at Imperial College London.
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They were last seen on June 28, 2008, on CCTV at Canada Water tube station and at McDonald's in Surrey Quays shopping centre.
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On June 29, 2008, a fire broke out at Laurent's flat in New Cross, reported by neighbours after a loud bang.
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Firefighters found the bound and brutally stabbed bodies of Laurent (194 stab wounds) and Gabriel (47 stab wounds) in their underwear, revealing a deliberate and vicious attack.
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The perpetrators, Dano Sonnex and Nigel Farmer, had burgled Laurent's flat a week prior, stealing a laptop.
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The attack began around 5:30am when Dano and Nigel, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, broke into the flat seeking debit card PINs.
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The assailants tortured and killed Gabriel first when his card failed to work, followed by Laurent in a prolonged and brutal attack.
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They set the flat on fire to destroy evidence but were seen by a neighbour, leading to a description and artist's impression.
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Nigel Farmer, suffering from severe burns from the fire, turned himself in to the police, while Dano was later arrested hiding in his grandparents' attic.
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Both men blamed each other during the trial, but the evidence showed their joint involvement.
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They were convicted of double murder and sentenced to 40 years (Dano Sonnex) and 35 years (Nigel Farmer).
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The Justice Secretary apologized for the oversight that allowed Dano to be free at the time of the murders.