The slayings of Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo in the latter's southeast London apartment on June 29 sent shivers across France and the UK.

Between the two of them, they had nearly 250 stab wounds. Two Londoners, Dano Sonnex, 23, and Nigel Farmer, 34, are now in the dock, accused of the killings and of setting fire to Bonomo's apartment in an apparent bid to destroy the crime scene.

Their case will be closely followed in France, in no small part because large numbers of young French men and women live in the UK for work or study. While there are no hard figures, the French Embassy here estimates that there could be 200,000 or even as many as 300,000 French citizens living in the London area alone.

Families of the two victims are in the British capital seeking answers. Although Sonnex and Farmer are also accused of stealing cell phones, game consoles and bank cards from Mr Bonomo's apartment, the alleged motive remains unclear.

On Wednesday Sonnex admitted burglarising the apartment on the day of the crime, but he denies charges of murder, false imprisonment and arson. Farmer has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case is being heard at London's Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, where some of the country's most notorious murders have been tried.

Opening statements in the trial have been delayed by legal arguments and news that a witness in the case had fallen ill. But hearings have already drawn dozens of French and British reporters, who spill out of the press benches into the gallery at the Old Bailey's wood-panelled Court One.

France's Le Monde predicted on Thursday that testimony from the case would be enough 'to satisfy anyone interested in exploring the dark side of the human soul'. For the families of Ferez and Bonomo, there's more at stake. -- AP