Chinese students murder: Victim may have been suffocated

The students were found lying on blood-stained beds in separate rooms at a ground floor flat in Newcastle's West End having been bludgeoned to death.

Post mortem examinations showed that the man suffered "massive" head injuries, while the woman "may also have been asphyxiated".

Northumbria Police said there was no sign of a theft at the ground floor flat and detectives have yet to establish a firm motive.

They have launched extra patrols and asked officers to speak with community leaders in the area amid fears that the killings could have been racially motivated.

Ishaopeng Wu, a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said he feared for his safety on the streets and had been attacked himself by local youths in the past.

The student, 31, said: "I am very shocked, I cannot see if we should live in this area any more. It is a tough area, but convenient for the university. As Chinese students we do not have any affairs with other people. I want to know why this happened. Sometimes local children attack us, I don't know whether it is because we come from another country."