First pictures inside the students' flat

The fiancée of one of the two French academics tortured to death in a London flat was revealed last night to have been the last person to speak to the men.

As they released a description of their chief suspect, detectives said that Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, could have been killed at any time during the 21 hours before their bodies were discovered on June 29.

Mary Bertez, who had a telephone conversation with Mr Bonomo in the early hours of Sunday has left poignant internet messages for her fiancé posted alongside vivid images of the murdered men enjoying a carefree life in London, and the first glimpse inside the New Cross flat where they were killed.

Miss Bertez, 23, wrote: “My love, I have loved you, I love you, I will love you all my life.” The photographs include her and Mr Bonomo kissing as he hands her a Gucci jewellery bag in what appears to be an engagement celebration.

The murdered men were in Britain on a three-month research project at Imperial College London which was due to end later this month.

Their badly burnt bodies were found by firefighters following an explosion at 10pm last Sunday. A pathologist later documented 243 separate injuries to the students’ bodies, with Mr Bonomo suffering 80 wounds after he died.

An E-fit of a white man aged in his thirties seen by several neighbours running away from the block of flats at the time of the explosion has been released by police as it was revealed that they had discovered an item of blood-stained clothing nearby.

The development came as a 21-year-old local man who had been arrested on Saturday was released by police. Detective Chief Inspector Mick Duthie said: “It is important to stress that the attack could have taken place at any time during Sunday. We know Laurent spoke to his fiancée around 1.00am on the Sunday morning. After that, no-one heard from Laurent or Gabriel or saw them.”

Police have interviewed the students’ friends in Britain and colleagues at Imperial College about their lifestyle and contacts. They have also spoken to Miss Bertez about her final telephone call.

Mr Duthie said: “Everything we have heard is that they appear to have been hardworking young men who were making the most of the opportunity to research their chosen area of science in a world class facility.

To relax, they enjoyed playing tennis, computer games and liked watching sport.” He appealed for information from anyone offered two hand-held Playstations Sony PSPs missing from Mr Bonomo’s flat or a Packard Bell laptop computer stolen six days before the murders during a burglary which is now at the heart of the investigation.

The men’s bank cards are also missing but police refused to confirm if they had been used after the discovery of the bodies or discuss if they had obtained CCTV footage of withdrawals being made from cash machines.

Photographs on Mrs Bertez’s page on a social networking site show the murdered men together for the first time, Mr Bonomo in the bedroom of the flat where they were killed, sharing drinks with Mr Ferez in the kitchen and also using the stolen laptop.

They also show Miss Bertez happily touring the sights of the capital with Mr Bonomo as she paid a short visit to the capital just weeks before the murders.

Miss Bertez, 23, is pictured outside the Baker Street museum dressed as the famous detective while her fiancé wears Dr Watson’s bowler hat. Mr Bonomo is also pictured inside the museum dressed as Holmes and Ms Bertez is later shown enjoying a pint of beer outside a traditional British pub.

Mr Bonomo and Mr Ferez were bio-chemistry students were in the second year of a three-year Master’s degree at the Clermont-Ferrand Polytech in Central France where professors have described them as amongst the brightest of their generation. Students at the university will today hold a silent march in memory of the friends.

At the weekend Mr Ferez’s parents made an emotional appeal for help in finding their son’s killers. Olivier Ferez, a nurse, and his wife Francoise from near Amiens, in northern France, said: “We know what happened to our son may have been the result of someone or some people whose psychological state of mind was disturbed.”

They made a direct plea to those who committed the crime to turn themselves in, saying: “You will not be able to live in hiding forever. You may be scared and feel like a coward, but you must recognise this terrible mistake you made.” But they also appealed for parents to protect their children and themselves. “Finally, we ask that you protect your children and protect yourselves,” the said. “It is too late for Gabriel, an angel who is now a victim after giving us 23 years of love.”

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