LONDON - A JUDGE sentenced two British men to life in prison on Tuesday for what he called the sadistic killing of two French students who were bound, tortured and stabbed to death in a London apartment last year.
A jury at London's Central Criminal Court convicted Dano Sonnex, 23, and Nigel Farmer, 34, of murdering biochemistry students Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo, both 23.
Judge John Saunders said 'the killings were sadistic' and committed by men fueled by drugs and alcohol during a robbery attempt.
He said Farmer must serve a minimum of 35 years in prison and Sonnex 40 years before they can seek parole.
'The misery and suffering that you have caused cannot be measured,' the judge said. 'These are the worst crimes I have ever had to deal with and, unhappily, no punishment that I can pass can ever bring any real comfort to the families.'
The savagery and apparent randomness of the crime shocked people in Britain and France. The victims, both graduate students at London's Imperial College, suffered almost 250 stab wounds between them in what prosecutors called a 'relentless and merciless onslaught' in Bonomo's apartment on June 29.
Prosecutors said Farmer and Sonnex tied up and tortured the students for their bank PIN numbers, then killed them after an attempt to withdraw money failed. -- AP
