DANO Sonnex murdered two French students in New Cross just months after spending five years behind bars for a string of other violent crimes.

Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were tied up and stabbed a total of 244 times in Sterling Gardens on June 29 last year.

Sonnex, aged 23, of Etta Street, Deptford, and Farmer, aged 34, of no fixed address, have been convicted of murdering the students.

In May 2002, at the age of 16, Sonnex stabbed another youth three times with a knife in Evelyn Street, Deptford.

The attack happened after a dispute over a car.

Just months later, he and a friend robbed four people in Surrey Quays.

On that occasion, Sonnex was carrying a gun and fired it several times, holding it to the head of a terrified young woman.

Afterwards, the pair attempted to rob the owners of a Chinese takeaway in Rotherhithe.

Sonnex was sentenced to eight years after pleading guilty to robbery and GBH.

Just two days after his release, having served five years, Sonnex is alleged to have tied up his pregnant foster sister and her boyfriend in an attempt to steal money.

On February 10 last year, the foster sister and her boyfriend suffered a 45-minute ordeal when they were bound and a pillow case was put over the woman's head while a knife was held to her throat.

The man claims Sonnex held a saw to his neck before waving a hammer around.

The couple eventually managed to escape.

Charges were never brought for that incident, but in April Sonnex was again in trouble when he was arrested for handling stolen goods.

Sonnex claimed he began drug-dealing and burgling houses “to survive”.

After the French students were murdered on June 29, Sonnex went on the run and was not arrested until July 10 when he was found hiding in his grandparents’ loft in Peckham.

It was claimed Sonnex became aggressive and threatened Detective Constable Jason Foy: "I'm going to bite your face off."

In the police van, Sonnex was heard to be laughing hysterically for several minutes.

Detective Constable Chris Mogan said Sonnex was smirking and sniggering during police interviews as he was shown pictures of the dead students.