‘We’re thankful Amanda’s nightmare is finally over’

AMANDA KNOX was cleared last night after a court overturned her conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

The 24-year-old American has spent four years behind bars for the killing in Perugia, Italy, that she insisted she played no part in.

But her nightmare ended when jurors in her appeal trial found her not guilty of stabbing Kercher after forcing her into a violent sex game.

Knox, from Seattle, was jailed for 26 years in December 2009 after a year-long trial, along with her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito who was jailed for 25 years.

Sollecito, 27, was also cleared last night after a successful appeal.

The verdicts came after the former lovers delivered heartfelt addresses to the Perugia court yesterday morning, proclaiming their innocence once more.

Knox, watched by her anxious family in the medieval chamber, declared: “I am not who they say I am — the perversion, the violence, the lack of respect for life — and I did not do the things they say I did.

“I did not kill, I did not rape, I did not steal. I was not there at the time.”

Choking back emotion, she told jurors: “I want to go back to my life. I do not want to be punished. I do not want my life taken away for something that I did not do, because I am innocent.”

The semi-naked body of Leeds University student Kercher, 21, from Surrey, was found on November 2, 2007, in the house she shared with Knox.

Small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 24, from the Ivory Coast, was jailed for murder and sexual violence after separate proceedings and, while he too protests his innocence, his conviction was upheld on appeal.

Knox was told she must pay €22,000 in compensation to Diya “Patrick” Lumumba, a barman she falsely accused of the murder.

Knox walked out of the court in floods of tears, followed shortly afterwards by Sollecito, who showed little expression on his face.

Members of Knox’s family smiled and hugged each other after the results were read out by the judge.

Her mother, Edda Mellas, helped wipe the tears from the face of one of her daughter’s friends as the verdict sunk in. Lawyers were seen embracing and patting each other on the back.

Meanwhile, Meredith’s brother, Lyle, and sister, Stephanie, comforted each other as they remained seated in the courtroom with their mother, Arline.

Television pictures showed hundreds of people outside the court building, with dozens of cameramen and photographers trying to get pictures. Shouts and jeers could be heard in reaction to the acquittals.

Knox’s victory was won after a successful PR campaign fought by her family, who have repeatedly given media interviews about her wrongful conviction.

In marked contrast to the Kercher family, who have largely maintained a dignified silence since losing their daughter and sister, the Knoxs deployed every resource at their disposal to save theirs. Knox’s stepfather, Chris Mellas, even moved to Perugia to be near his stepdaughter and attend her appeal hearings.

The family of Amanda Knox said they were “thankful that Amanda’s nightmare is over”.

Deanna Knox, her sister, spoke to reporters outside the court building just moments after the conviction was overturned. “We’re thankful that Amanda’s nightmare is over. She has suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit.”

Her acquittal secured, Knox is expected to return to the US with her family at the earliest possible opportunity. Her next move remains to be seen, but she is known to have been penning her memoirs in prison, while rumours of million dollar bids for the first television interview with her have been rife.

The Kerchers refused to comment on whether they would fight the court decision should the convictions be overturned, but are likely to address this issue today.

Prosecutors are expected to appeal, even in the knowledge that once Knox has gone home she will almost certainly not be extradited back to Italy.

One member of the baying crowd shouted through a loudhailer that Knox and Sollecito were guilty, prompting cheers and applause among the densely packed members of the public gathered in the square outside. When Sollecito’s lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, appeared the angry roar became deafening.

Knox’s lawyer Carlo dalla Vedova said that Knox and Kercher had been friends and he expressed his condolences to the Kercher family on behalf of his client and her family. Asked what Knox would do now, he said: “We’re looking forward to taking her back home as soon as possible. We’re going to the prison now to complete the procedure. I know that Amanda wants to go home — she’s been far away from home now for four years and she wants to go back to Seattle.”

He told the BBC: “The justice has superseded and has rectified a mistake.

“It was a terrible tragedy at the beginning because of the death of Meredith.

“Meredith was a friend of Amanda, so we should never forget this. We have to respect the sorrow of the family. But there’s no winner here. Justice has recognised that Amanda was not involved in the murder.”

Television pictures showed Knox’s supporters celebrating in her home town of Seattle in the US. They had watched yesterday’s events unfold thousands of miles from Perugia.

Richard Ottaway, MP for Croydon South, the constituency that includes the Kerchers’ family home in Coulsdon, said last night: “An innocent woman has died, and the cause of her death still remains a mystery. The Italian authorities clearly thought that Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito were guilty, but Italian justice has now found otherwise, and I call upon those authorities to make a statement explaining what steps they now intend to take.”