Nanny verdict: Ouissem Medouni was 'weak, submissive and insular'

Banker Oiussem Medouni was beguiled by Sabrina Kouider. He lapped up her obsessions and delusions and then began to adopt them himself.

The 40-year-old French Algerian, known as Sam, was "weak, submissive and insular" compared with the domineering Sabrina Kouider.

The prosecution told the jury the Frenchman had "punched above his weight" when it came to the love of his life.

When Sabrina went off with other men, he proved his unswerving loyalty and waited in the wings for her return.

As a young man, Medouni had pursued Kouider relentlessly after seeing her at a French funfair when she was 18.

He got a degree in economics and went to work for French bank Societe Generale in London as a financial analyst.

Kouider resented him working at weekends and he was made redundant in 2012.

While working, he had invested in two flats in Paris, and survived on the rent while looking to branch out with his own business.

In 2016, while they lived as the house in Southfields he tried to set up a French pancake stall outside the local fish and chip restaurant. The business failed because he and Sabrina failed to come up with the deposit.

Kouider accused him of being lazy, not supporting the family and flitting off to France whenever he felt like it but Medouni insisted he did contribute towards the household bills.

He showed no signs of mental health problems yet became a fully fledged "believer" in Kouider's obsession with Mark Walton.

Having bought into the fantasy, he failed to stop Kouider when she became violent towards the nanny and instead 'went off for a walk'.

On the day of Sophie's death, Medouni was heard in mobile phone recorded interrogations of the au pair.

He became enraged at the belief Miss Lionnet had colluded to drug him so that Mr Walton could sexually molest him in his own home but he denied murdering Sophie.