French couple jailed for life for nanny murder

The torture you put her through before her death was prolonged and without pity NICHOLAS HILLIARD British judge

A couple who tortured and murdered a French nanny have been jailed for life by a court in London.

Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni, also French nationals, were given the life terms with a minimum of 30 years yesterday for the killing of 21-year-old Sophie Lionnet.

Kouider, who has two children, and her partner Medouni subjected the nanny to 12 days of interrogations before killing her in the bath at their home in Southfields, south-west London in September last year.

During their trial at the Old Bailey, the court heard that Kouider, 35, had become obsessed with the idea that Lionnet was helping Mark Walton, a former member of the Irish band Boyzone, to abuse members of their family.

Fashion designer Kouider had also tried to frame her ex-boyfriend, Walton, for the disappearance of Lionnet, from Troyes in eastern France.

Medouni, 40, a former banker, was “indoctrinated” into believing Kouider’s claims about a conspiracy between Walton and Lionnet, the court heard.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard said Kouider’s allegations against the victim and Walton were “complete fiction”.

The couple starved and beat Lionnet, who had worked for them for 18 months, filming a “confession” hours before her murder in which the emaciated victim said she had drugged Medouni so he could be abused by Walton.

Kouider, who filmed eight hours of torture on her phone, said she had planned to hand the recordings to police as evidence against Walton.

At the sentencing, Mr Hilliard said: “I’m sure on all the evidence you were both involved in torturing Sophie in the bath in the lead-up to her death in making her think she would drown unless she gave her information you wanted, which was not in her power to give because it did not exist.

“The suffering and the torture you put her through before her death was prolonged and without pity.”

Lionnet’s parents, Catherine Devallonne and Patrick Lionnet, were in court for the sentencing.

In a statement, which was read to the court, Ms Devallonne described her daughter as a “reserved young girl”.

“I’ve been living this nightmare ever since,” she said. “Those monsters beat her to death.”

The defendants denied murdering Lionnet, but later admitted to disposing of her body, which was discovered three days after she died.

Firefighters were called to Kouider and Medouni’s home on September 20 having been alerted by neighbours who reported smoke and a horrible smell coming from the property. Medouni had tried to dispose of the body using acid and had started to cook food on a barbecue in an attempt to disguise the smell. He was arrested after one of the firefighters noticed human fingers and a nose on the fire.

Kouider’s lawyer had tried to persuade the judge that her mental disorders had driven her actions, but his argument was dismised.