The first pictures of the inside of the London home where two brilliant French academics were tortured to death show the carefree life enjoyed by the men before they were attacked by a suspected intruder.

Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, both 23, were killed in a frenzied attack at the apartment exactly a week ago. Mr Bonomo is pictured in the bedroom and kitchen of his flat in New Cross, South London.

He is also seen using the black Packard Bell laptop computer stolen six days for the murders during a burglary which is at the heart of the police investigation.

The friends were attacked while Mr Ferez was visiting Mr Bonomo to watch the final of football's Euro 2008 and to play on two Sony PSP games consoles, which were stolen on the night of the murders. Police believe an intruder entered the flat using a set of keys taken during the burglary.

The photographs appear on a social networking page of Mr Bonomo’s girlfriend, Mary Bertez. She has written a poignant message to her finance saying: “My love I have loved you, I love you and I will love you all my life.”

The couple are shown sharing a tender kiss and embracing as Mr Bonomo gives Miss Bertez a Gucci ring bag. She later told friends at her joy of being engaged.

Just weeks before the murders Miss Bertez visited her finance in London during which they went to various tourist attractions including the Sherlock Holmes museum.

Miss Bertez, 23, is shown outside the Baker Street museum dressed as the famous detective while her boyfriend wears Dr Watson’s bowler hat. Mr Bonomo is also pictured inside the museum dressed as Holmes and Ms Bertez is later shown enjoying a pint of beer outside a traditional British pub.

Detectives have described the murders, during which the men were tied up stabbed a total of 243 times before the flat was firebombed, as like “a scene from a Tarantino movie”. By coincidence, Miss Bertez lists Quentin Tarantino’s violent Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill: Vol 2 as her favourite movies.

Mr Bonomo and Mr Ferez were bio-chemistry students were in the second year of a three-year Master's degree at the Clermont-Ferrand Polytech in Central France. They were in London on a three-month research project at Imperial College which was due to end later this month.

Miss Bertez’s album also contains the first pictures of the men together and they enjoy their lives in London and shows them at Mr Ferez’s home in South Norwood, South London, drinking champagne to celebrate their exam results. Miss Bertez is student at Valenciennes University in northern France

Yesterday Mr Ferez’s parents appealed for help in finding their son’s killers.

Francoise and Olivier Ferez, from Amiens, Northern France, said: “The events that have happened are still painful to us. We are trying to come to terms with it all.

“We know what happened to our son may have been the result of someone or some people whose psychological state of mind was disturbed. But, as parents, we need the police to find the guilty parties for us to have some kind of explanation."

They made a direct plea to those who committed the crime to turn themselves in, saying: “You will not be able to live in hiding forever. You may be scared and feel like a coward, but you must recognise this terrible mistake you made. Rest assured that we will not leave you in peace”

The statement also paid tribute to the men and called on the people of London to be “vigilant against crime”.

“If you know of anything unusual or suspicious that may help in this investigation - someone acting strangely, something you overheard, someone who has gone missing - please do report this to police.

“Finally, we ask that you protect your children and protect yourselves. It is too late for Gabriel, an angel who is now a victim after giving us 23 years of love and who was always ready to help others around him. His friend Laurent was alike.

"Please help us to reveal the truth. Help us to know, to understand and to come to terms with our loss. We still have a long way to go on earth. Gabriel had a sister and a young brother who are now crying from their loss.

"We ask our friends: the British people, please help us."

His girlfriend, Magali Bonnans, a 23-year-old student, has spent the past week staying with her boyfriend's best friend Antoine Galloux and his family in France, too grief-stricken to come to London. She met Mr Ferez two years ago when both were students on the same molecular science course at the Clermont-Ferrand Polytech in Central France. Students at the university will tomorrow hold a silent vigil in memory of the men.

Scotland Yard detectives are preparing to make fresh appeals for information tonight, exactly a week after the murders. A 21-year-old man arrested on Saturday morning was released this afternoon with no further action.

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