The parents of a British student who was raped and murdered in France 18 years ago spoke of their horror yesterday as they came face to face with the serial killer alleged to have taken her life.

Roger Parrish and Pauline Sewell were attending the trial in eastern France of Michel Fourniret, who has admitted the murder of seven girls and women - allegedly with the help of Monique Olivier, his wife and codefendant. They believe that Fourniret and Olivier may also be responsible for the death of Joanna Parrish, their daughter, whose body was found in a river in Burgundy in 1990.

Fourniret - who ordered his wife to track down and trap virgins for him - was in Burgundy at the time. Many of his victims were killed in a manner reminiscent of Miss Parrish’s death.

The court in Charleville-Mézières in the Ardennes has been told how the couple hunted and “eliminated” girls as young as 12, but Fourniret has remained impassive and silent, refusing to answer questions since the start of the trial last month. Olivier claims that she was forced to follow her husband in his murderous outings.

Mrs Sewell said of the defendants: “They both seem incredibly bored with the whole thing. They’re not taking it as seriously as normal human beings would. It is horrible, absolutely horrible.”

She said that she had been comforted by the parents of Fourniret’s victims in France and Belgium, where he went undetected for 16 years. “Only someone who has lost their child can understand how we feel,” she said. “There is an empathy between us.” Although Fourniret denies the murder of the 20-year-old student, French authorities have formally placed him under investigation in connection with the case. Olivier has also been placed under investigation after revealing details which led detectives to believe that she was present when Miss Parrish died. The couple may still be tried for the murder.

Mr Parrish, 75, and Mrs Sewell, 63, travelled from Gloucestershire to listen to evidence about the rape and murder of a French teenager in December 1990. The body of Natacha Danais, 13, was found on a beach in western France after Olivier had gained her confidence, persuaded her to climb into the couple’s van and left her in Fourniret’s grasp, the court was told.

The evidence has a bearing on the inquiry into the British student’s death because investigators believe that Fourniret - nicknamed the Ogre of the Ardennes - may have confused the two killings, which were only seven months apart, under police questioning.

He told detectives, for instance, that he had left Miss Danais naked and had dumped her clothes in bins along the road. In fact, Miss Danais was discovered partially clothed, whereas Miss Parrish was naked.

“When Michel Fourniret and Monique Olivier were interrogated, it seems that they confused some of the cases,” Mr Parrish said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Maître Didier Seban, the lawyer for Miss Parrish’s parents, said that they also wanted to highlight the delays and blunders that had marred the investigation into her death. “If the legal system had functioned properly, Fourniret and Olivier would have been on trial for Joanna Parrish’s death now,” he said.

He said that Fourniret’s silence was an attempt to manipulate the court, just as he had manipulated his victims. “He wants to dictate his conditions, but I don’t want to fall into that trap. I want him to show his true face.”

The trial continues.

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