By Andy Dolan and Colin Fernandez
Last updated at 8:27 AM on 18th September 2008
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Two sisters who were brutally killed in their luxury Birmingham flat were found face down with their bodies 'chopped' into several pieces, a source close to the investigation has revealed.
The brother of the two girls named them tonight as sisters Yasmine and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif, aged 22 and 19 respectively. They are understood to have only moved to the two-bedroom flat a few months before their deaths and both held office jobs.
Residents suggested one of the sisters, who were Algerian, may have recently split from a boyfriend and told of a series of rows between one of the women and a mystery man shortly before the killings.
Sisters: Yasmine, left, and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif were brutally killed in their luxury flat in Birmingham
They had overheard a succession of arguments coming from the £240,000 flat in central Birmingham.
A 22-year-old woman who lived in the flat directly below the sisters, said: 'They both had dark hair, were olive skinned and very pretty.
'Whenever I passed they would nod their head and say hello.
'From time to time I would hear raised voices coming from upstairs, a man and a woman were clearly arguing over something, although I don't know what about.
'Over the last couple of weeks, however, the arguing was getting more and more intense.
'The rows were happening more regularly and the shouting was getting louder. There were also bangs and crashes against the floor.
'It's terrible to think they have been murdered in such a brutal way.'
Neighbours described Yasmine and Sabrina as 'very decent people'
The victims, described by fellow residents in the block as 'very decent people', were discovered by the building's concierge on Monday afternoon.
He told residents he had encountered a 'gruesome bloodbath' after forcing his way into the apartment at the request of relatives concerned the women had not been in touch for several days.
Yasmine, the older sister, was a keen dancer, leading classes in belly dancing in Birmingham, and her MySpace website features a YouTube video of her performing a belly dance.
Today a fellow dance teacher paid tribute to the 'extremely decent' woman she knew.
Maria Credali, of Lichfield, said: 'Yasmine was very kind, vibrant and very enthusiastic.
'She was really into the idea of sharing her culture with other ladies. She wanted to celebrate her background.'
Yasmine was a student, she said, but took a sabbatical to do voluntary work with women's groups.
She also taught dancing to adults, until she stopped teaching around a year ago, but was also 'fantastic with kids'.
Ms Credali added: 'I just remember her with a big smile on her face. She was very gentle.'
The whole family was 'very close', she added.
The victims, described by fellow residents in the block as 'very decent people', were discovered by the building's concierge on Monday afternoon.
He told residents he had encountered a 'gruesome bloodbath' after forcing his way into the apartment at the request of relatives concerned the women had not been in touch for several days.
Yasmine used to study biochemistry and the family had been in the UK for around nine years, according to an article she wrote on the internet, in which she described her love of dance and the importance of her cultural heritage.
Sabrina is listed on her social network page as being a member of a University of Birmingham group, of which you have to be a student to join. She is thought to have been about to begin a course in French studies there.
A spokesman for the university refused to comment on reports of Sabrina's death until police had officially named the victims.
The complex, called Jupiter Apartments, was built three years ago. Big Brother 3 winner and local radio DJ Kate Lawler rents a flat in the same block as the murder scene.
Police believe the women were killed in their fourth floor flat sometime over the weekend.
Neighbours told of a 'wild party' on that floor on Saturday night.
Some said they regularly heard neighbours' arguments and speculated that the killer may have turned up music to mask the sound of the women's screams during the attack.
Crime scene: A police officer guards Jupiter Apartments in central Birmingham where the bodies of the two sisters were discovered by the concierge
Carpenter Neil Deakin, 23, who lives on the floor above the apartment, said he had gone out to the shops on Saturday night and encountered revellers on the fourth-floor landing.
He said: 'They were in their 20s and 30s and did not look or sound British because they were speaking in a foreign language.
'One of the girls seemed very drunk and she was slumped against the side of the wall in the corridor.
'As it got later people started to drift away and everything went quiet at about 3am.'
The girl's father is believed to be travelling from Algiers to identify their bodies.
A source at the Algerian Consulate in London said the victims' mother lived in Birmingham. She is being comforted by police family liaison officers.
West Midlands Police said they had no evidence the sisters had staged a party in the hours before their murders and strenuously denied suggestions that they may have been prostitutes.
A 28-year-old man from the city, who is understood to be known to the women but not related, was arrested early Tuesday morning following an all ports alert as he attempted to board a ferry in Dover, Kent, 12 hours after the bodies were discovered.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Mirfield, head of West Midland Police's major investigation unit, said the sisters had died in a 'chaotic and sustained attack', with the killer leaving a 'disturbed scene with a huge amount of forensic opportunities.'
Friends have paid tribute to the sisters in a group set up on social networking website Facebook.
One, Faraz Sayed, wrote: 'No-one should have gone through the fate they did. It's something you wouldn't wish to your worst enemy.
'Sabrina was a good friend, she was incredibly talented, she could sing well and play the guitar, and she was good at any sport imaginable.'
Lul Hassan wrote: 'It's deeply saddening to hear of this loss - two very beautiful people, one particularly close to my heart, and no words can describe what you meant to us.'
Daniela Duarte asked: 'Why? I just can't believe it's happening, I don't want to believe it's happening.
'Gotta wipe away the tears and keep smiling like Sab did.'
Another of Sabrina's friends, Rebecca Ramsamooj, told how the teenager would 'brighten a room'.
She added: 'Personally for me she was a role model, I looked up to her because she was a bright girl and always gave me the advice I needed to hear.
'I will miss her so much, her singing, playing the guitar is my fondest memory and most of all her presence.'
© 2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1057271/First-pictures-sisters-hacked-pieces-luxury-party-flat.html
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