AN alleged killer has admitted for the first time his part in a burglary that led to two French students being murdered.

Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez were tied up, tortured and killed following a burglary in Sterling Gardens, New Cross, on June 29 last year.

Dano Sonnex, one of the men charged with murdering the students, today (May 19) changed his story and admitted at the Old Bailey that he had gone into the Sterling Gardens bedsit.

Sonnex's defence had previously claimed he had stayed outside, keeping lookout while co-defendant Nigel Farmer went into the flat.

He said the two men had been looking for a place to burgle after Farmer was robbed of drugs and money earlier that morning.

Sonnex said Farmer went through an open kitchen window and he heard “scuffling” and “voices beginning to get louder.”

According to Sonnex, Farmer then said: “Come and give me a hand here, I need a hand.”

Sonnex claimed he climbed in through the window and saw Farmer holding Mr Bonomo on a bed with “his hand around his neck, pushing his head into the pillow”.

The defendant said Mr Ferez was sitting on a futon looking “edgy” and “talking French very, very loudly”.

Sonnex said Farmer told him to grab Mr Ferez, who did not fight back.

The defendant said Farmer then started to punch the struggling Mr Bonomo in the face.

Farmer then allegedly gave Sonnex clothing from a cupboard to tie up Mr Ferez.

The student's ankles and wrists were bound, while Farmer tied up Mr Bonomo.

Sonnex said Mr Bonomo was mentioning his girlfriend and Farmer allegedly replied: “Think about your girlfriend, think about your girlfriend and everything will be alright.”

Sonnex said they then went to search the flat which led to Farmer finding two PSPs, some mobile phones and Mr Bonomo's credit card.

The defendant claimed he asked the student for his pin number and that Mr Bonomo was “very compliant”.

Sonnex told the court: “I left and told my friend to keep on searching the flat and I'd be back.”

He claimed when he returned Farmer had already stabbed the two men and was making a “hissing” noise.

Asked why he had changed his evidence, Sonnex said: ”I just thought that the jury wouldn't believe that I didn't kill those people.”

He added: "It's better to be truthful.”

Farmer claims he played no part in the burglary or the murders and was at the Sonnex family home in Etta Street, Deptford, at the time.

Sonnex also told the court today that he and Farmer had been burgling houses and selling cocaine, cut with a powder called Magic, in the weeks preceding the murders.

And he told the court how the pair had burgled Mr Bonomo's just a week before, stealing a laptop which was sold on.

He said the fact they had returned there was a “coincidence”.

Sonnex, aged 23, of Etta Street, Deptford, and Farmer, aged 34, of no fixed address, deny murder, arson and false imprisonment.

Farmer denies burglary but Sonnex admits the charge.

The trial continues.