Knox and Sollecito guilty of murdering British student Kercher

Former lovers Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher during an extreme sex game.

American Knox, 22, and Italian Sollecito, 25, are expected to launch an appeal against the verdict.

Knox was last night sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito 25.

Prosecutors said the pair killed 21-year-old Miss Kercher in what began as a sex game and ended with Sollecito holding her down while Knox cut her throat with a six-inch kitchen knife.

They committed the killing in Perugia, Italy, with small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 22, who was jailed for murder and sexual violence last October for 30 years.

After the verdict, Knox’s father, Curt Knox, left court ashen faced. Asked if his family would appeal, he said: “Hell, yes.”

Knox and Sollecito were told they must pay a total of €5m to the Kercher family as compensation for Miss Kercher’s murder.

Knox was told she must also pay €40,000 compensation to Patrick Lumumba, for defaming the local barman when she falsely accused him of the murder.

The semi-naked body of Leeds University student Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was found in a pool of blood with her throat slit in her room in Perugia in November 2007.

She had been sharing a house with Knox, who was also a student, on her year abroad in the Umbrian hilltop town.

Police are still not certain why Knox, her then boyfriend Sollecito and Guede were all at the house in Perugia together, although they suspect that a drugs transaction was behind the meeting.

Knox bowed her head and burst into tears as the verdict was read out. Her lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, put a comforting arm around her as she wept.

Her family held hands as they waited for the verdict. Their faces fell as they learnt of Knox’s fate and her sister Deanna Knox wept uncontrollably

As Knox was led out of court a loud sob was heard.

Sollecito looked impassive while Miss Kercher’s family appeared composed.

Knox’s family left court in tears and fought their way through the dense crowd of journalists.

Miss Kercher’s family’s lawyer, Francesco Maresca, said the family was satisfied with the verdict.

He said: “They got the justice they were expecting. We got what we were hoping for.”

Mr Maresca added: “With what we got with the Guede sentence last year, we have obtained truth and justice for this tragic event.”

It is understood the Kercher family will speak at a press conference at a hotel in Perugia at 11am local time (10am Irish time).