‘Programme of torture by ex of former Boyzone star’

THE ex-girlfriend of a former Boyzone singer and her partner tortured their French nanny in a bath before burning her body in their garden and barbecuing chicken to mask the smell, their trial heard yesterday.

Fashion designer Sabrina Kouider, 35, ‘beguiled’ her boyfriend Ouissem ‘Sam’ Medouni, 40, into joining her in a programme of ‘intimidation, torture and violence’ against the shy and quiet au pair Sophie Lionnet, 21, the Old Bailey in London heard.

A child was in the flat listening as the pair barked questions at their gasping victim, while repeatedly dunking her head under the water, the murder trial was told.

A ‘harrowing’ video of the nanny was also shown, made by the pair hours before they allegedly killed her. They then allegedly burned her body in the garden in the early afternoon last September.

The court has been told that the pair forced the nanny to ‘confess’ to helping Kouider’s ex-boyfriend – Boyzone founder and singer Mark Walton – drug and sexually abuse the entire family in their rented flat in Wimbledon and invite paedophiles to join in. The sexual abuse allegations had no basis in truth, said prosecutor Richard Horwell QC, but Kouider and Medouni were clearly obsessed with them, and with terrifying Ms Lionnet into ‘confessing’.

They accused her of being a paedophile herself, and of having sex with the pop star. They recorded their interrogations for use against Mr Walton. He had never met the nanny and there is no suggestion he is involved in any wrongdoing.

Kouider and Medouni, both French, have admitted perverting the course of justice by burning the nanny – but deny murder. The case continues.