A JURY in the trial of two men accused of murdering two French students will spend a fifth day considering their verdicts tomorrow (June 4).

The Old Bailey jury, earlier told by Judge John Saunders they could reach a majority verdict, have been sent home for the day and will resume deliberations in the morning.

So far they have been out for around 17 hours, considering five weeks worth of evidence.

Nigel Farmer and Dano Sonnex deny murdering the students on the morning of June 29 last year.

Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were tied up and stabbed a total of 244 times in Sterling Gardens, New Cross.

Later, at around 10pm, Farmer admits setting fire to the murder scene but claims he did so under pressure from Sonnex's family.

Sonnex claims that, though he helped tie the students up, he went out to get money using the bankcards and did not go back into the bedsit until Farmer had killed both men.

But Farmer says he never even went to the Sterling Gardens flat, claiming that he was at the Sonnex family home in Etta Street, Deptford, at the time.

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.