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Knox murder case 'has no holes' Knox murder case 'has no holes'
(about 2 hours later)
Judges have published their reasons for convicting Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Judges in Italy have published their reasons for convicting Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of Meredith Kercher.
The judges in Italy said the murder happened without planning or grudge. The judges said the murder happened without planning or grudge.
But they said that there were no holes or inconsistency in the evidence which pointed to the guilt of Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. But they said that there were no holes or inconsistency in the evidence which pointed to the guilt of Knox and Sollecito.
The pair were found guilty in December of killing Ms Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, in Perugia in 2007.The pair were found guilty in December of killing Ms Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, in Perugia in 2007.
In the 427-page opinion document, Italian judge Giancarlo Massei said the case pointed to a "necessary and consequential" outcome. Both Knox and Sollecito are appealing against their convictions; Knox on the grounds that the forensic evidence against her was flawed.
The fact Miss Kercher was found covered with a blanket, showed the pair felt "regret" for what they had done, the judges said. Lurid claims
The murder occurred because of a combination of "purely random" circumstances, notably that Knox and Sollecito were free that evening, they "ran into" Guede and went to the house where Miss Kercher was alone, the report said. In the 427-page opinion document, Italian judges Giancarlo Massei and Beatrice Cristini say all their decisions were based on the forensic evidence presented.
Appeals They say, for example, that one footprint found in Miss Kercher's bathroom belonged to Sollecito, whilst another in a bedroom came from Knox.
The opinion all said that Knox "freely accused Patrick Diya Lumumba of having killed Miss Kercher and accused him knowing of (his) innocence". And they explain, at length, why the footprint in the bedroom is a woman's.
Knox and Sollecito had denied killing her, but prosecutors said Sollecito held her down while Knox stabbed her to death in what began as a drug-induced sex game. BBC Rome correspondent Duncan Kennedy said this suggested they dismissed some of the more lurid claims of the prosecution, especially concerning Knox, over things like her cart wheeling and giggling in the police station in the days after the murder.
Her semi-naked body was found in a pool of blood. In their explanation, the judges also say that Knox and Sollecito had staged a fake break-in, to make it look as though Miss Kercher was killed by an intruder.
Afterwards they tried to make the death look like part of a failed burglary, breaking the window in Miss Kercher's room to look like forced entry, the court heard. 'Regret'
In other parts of their report the judges say they could find no motive for the murder.
The prosecution initially claimed Miss Kercher had died during a sex party that went wrong, then Knox and Miss Kercher fell out over Knox's hygiene habits and interest in men.
But, in their interpretation of events, the judges say that this was a murder "without planning, without any animosity or grudge against the victim".
They say that the death was the result of what they call, "purely random circumstances," that Knox and Sollecito had not gone round specifically to kill Miss Kercher.
This view is reinforced by another extract from the judges report.
Miss Kercher had been studying Italian on an exchange programme
It says the fact that Miss Kercher's body had been covered by her attackers showed, "a sort of regret for what they had done".
Knox was jailed for 26 years and Sollecito for 25 years in December last year. They are both appealing against their murder convictions.Knox was jailed for 26 years and Sollecito for 25 years in December last year. They are both appealing against their murder convictions.
Small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 22, had been jailed for 30 years for his part in the murder last October.Small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 22, had been jailed for 30 years for his part in the murder last October.
Knox is appealing against her conviction on the grounds that the forensic evidence against her was flawed. The judges also found that early on in the investigation, Knox had "freely accused" another man, Patrick Lumumba, knowing he was innocent.
Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University student, had been sharing a house with Knox, also a student, on a year abroad in the Umbrian hilltop town. Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University student, had been sharing a house with Knox, who was also a student, on a year abroad in the Umbrian hilltop town.