Latest
15.28 The family is asked if they can forgive. Stephanie replies:
It would be very difficult to forgive anything at this stage. I think that everyone needs to remember… the brutality of what actually happened that night and everything Meredith must have felt, everything she went through. The fear, the terror and not knowing why. And she didn’t deserve it that. Nobody deserved that. She loved this place. It is a beautiful city. Even being here now, it is (beautiful). It is very difficult to know what happened that night without knowing the trurth and that is why we are here.
Lyle adds:
It is very hard to talk about forgiveness and difficult to speak about forgives. Four years on the one hand is a very long time. On the other it isn’t and it is still very raw. Looking at the photographs (tendered to court), you would find it difficult to forgive somebody who did that to your sibling. It wasn’t a case of celebrating (at the first trial), three young people involoved in this, have also had their lives taken away. You have to balance forgiveness with compassion as well. But I am not sure we will be giving out forgiveness.
15.26 Her mother says the family supports the court process
It proceeds in the same way in the world. They look at the evidence. Test it forensically. What is good the judge in the first hearing usually issued 400 page document, which detailed how they got to that result, what their thinking was, why they got there. In England you don’t have that. In England the sentence is given and you don’t know how it was given.
15.23 Her sister replies:
The focus has shifted for obvious reasons onto the three people in court at the moment. Meredith has been forgotten in all of this. There is not a lot that has been said about what happened at the time. It has been very difficult to keep her memory alive in all of this, this is why the whole trail is going on in the first place. And that we can find justice for her. To be present and remember Meredith in a city that she loves.
15.22 First question from La Repubblica journalist
You have said you felt abandoned by Italian press/ media in general. We wanted to know if this was really your opinion. We would like to find out by Amanda Knox verdict?
15.20 Sister Stephanie, brother Lyle and mother Arline both present with Italian lawyer Maresca.
Their spokesman tells reporters:
They are making sure they spend in these hours until the verdict with the utmost piece of mind. Following this press conference I have been asked to tell you that they are not ready to do one on one interviews. This will enable them to spend the next few hours in peace.
15.16 Kercher family arrives. More to follow in a minute. Total chaos.
15.15 Television footage shows dozens of photographers/ cameras at Perugia hotel for Kercher family press conference.
15.10 ABC News America has published this Amanda Knox's court statement in full.
Amanda Knox, Meredith Kercher and Raffaele Sollecito (Picture: REUTERS/ PA/ AFF/GETTY IMAGES)
15.05 Andrea Vogt, a freelancer journalist tweets
#amandaknox appeal: British consulate official trying to manage massive media presence at Kercher press conference. Like herding cats.
15.03 Tim Gatt, a Sky News producer tweets
My colleague @JulesSkyNews says a local MP who has visited Amanda Knox in the prison chapel says she's playing guitar and singing.
15.02 Daniele Pinto tweets
#MeredithKercher family presser. Taking only nine questions: three for the Italian press, three for U.S. press and three for UK press.
Utter chaos at #MeredithKercher family presser as journalist can't agree on whose questions should be asked. Only nine questions allowed.
14.55 Barbie Latza Nadeau, tweets from the Kercher press conference.
#meredithkercher presser packed. Standing room only. #amandaknox
14.30 Here are a couple of videos put together by the Telegraph TV department.
Francesco Maresca, the lawyer representing Meredith Kercher's family, read a statement for the family outside Perugia's Court of Appeal expressing their desire to see the verdict upheld. Meredith's mother Arline, sister Stephanie and brother Lyle are due to give a press conference in about 30 minutes.
Raffaele Sollecito's statement to the jury in which he claims he "never hurt anybody, never in my life."
12.30 Nick Squires reports from Perugia that Meredith Kercher's mother, Arline, and her sister, Stephanie, flew into the town's airport this morning on a flight from Stansted.
They joined one of Meredith's two brothers, Lyle, at a hotel in the university town. They are due to give a press conference this afternoon (about 4pm local time, 3pm GMT).
Francesco Maresco, the Kerchers' lawyer, spoke outside court after Knox had given her address to the court and the jury went into their deliberations.
He said:
The Kercher family accepted the court's decision that they (Knox and Sollecito) were guilty and so they are now interested in seeing that sentence confirmed.
He said he did not think there would be tensions between the Kerchers and the Knox family when they sit together in the court room this evening to hear the sentence handed down.
It is more the wait that creates tension, and the Kerchers are more interested in remembering their daughter outside the courtroom. Their attention is on that.
Meredith Kercher's sister Stephanie, left, and her mother Arline, right, arrive at the Sant'Egidio airport in Perugia (Picture: AP)
11.45 We are going to leave it there for the time being but will update with any major developments throughout the day and when a verdict is returned later on Monday, around 6pm GMT.
11.40 Nick Squires has filed this version from the court in Perugia: Amanda Knox appeal verdict: 'I didn't commit Meredith Kercher's murder'
Knox, wearing a green blouse, black jacket and black trousers, said that Miss Kercher had been killed "in the most brutal and inexplicable manner possible". She denied there was any enmity between them, saying they were good friends and that the British exchange student "was always nice to me". Writing is one of the American student's passions, but the address she gave to the six jurors and two judges who will decide her fate was the most important piece of prose she will ever write.
11.35 The appeal trial has gripped attention on both sides of the Atlantic, four years after 21-year-old Kercher's body was found in a pool of blood in the university town. The people of Perugia resent the media attention, believing the hitherto quaint image of their city has been sullied by allegations of drugs, drink and orgies among students there, Reuters reported.
11.30 Here is a story about the complex Italian legal system Knox is having to navigate: Meredith Kercher murder legal hearings a multi-stage process
In Italy, those convicted of crimes are entitled to two appeals, meaning cases can drag on for years without a final resolution. Knox and Sollecito's fate will be determined by presiding judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, another judge and six jurors. Mr Pratillo Hellman can use his power as presiding judge to break a tie, should the jurors fail to agree.
11.25 Daniel Sandford reports from Perugia that there is a "suggestion that Meredith Kercher's family will hold a press conference before the Knox decision". Meanwhile a British High Commission officer arrives to support family. The press have gathered at the nearby San Gallo hotel.
11.10 Amanda Knox makes emotional final plea to appeal court: video
10.58 Lester Holt, a high profile NBC News presenter who hosts the Weekend edition of the Today Programme, tweets:
Knox judge warned spectators against "cheers" when verdict is read. Some wondering why the word "cheers?" Expect 1 hour notice of decision.
10.50 Nick Allen again reports from Seattle, where it is approaching 3am.
Knox family friend Kellanne Henry, 49, in Seattle, was in tears after watching Amanda Knox's statement. She told the Telegraph:
I was really impressed. I've come to be impressed with Amanda's inner strength . I was so happy for her that she could stand up in public so definitively and say I'm innocent."
She said the characterisation of Knox as "satanic" was "ludicrous." She added:
If Amanda had lived in the 1960s she would have been a pacifist with flowers in her hair."
Amanda Knox talks with her lawyer Carlo Della Vedova. She stronly protested her innocence. (Picture: REUTERS)
10.39 Barbie Latza Nadeau, a Newsweek journalist says that the media consensus is that Knox made an impressive performance.
Chatter in the press room that #amanaknox (sic) did a great job, #sollecito seemed scattered and incoherent What suppose jury talking about 1st?
10.37 Amanda Knox awaits judgment in appeal hearing.
10.34 Duncan Kennedy, the BBC's newly appointed Australian correspondent, makes this observation.
I have been in that court many times... It must be very tense...so much at stake for all sides. The original trial verdict came around midnight. The original trial verdict came around midnight
10.28 Keme Nzerem, a Channel Four news journalist, tweets that the Kercher family has arrived in Italy.
The #kerchers have just landed at #perugia airport for #Amandaknox appeal. Sister Stephanie says 'we'll talk later'
Media outside the court in Perugia for the Amanda Knox appeal: (Picture: ROBERT NISBET/ SKY NEWS
10.26 Nick Allen in Seattle tweets
Amanda knox supporters in seattle playing a song called 'Freedom' as they prepare for a long wait. Confusion over timing of Amanda Knox verdict in seattle. Supporters wondering what "20" means.
10.15 To give a perspective on how huge the media interest is in this case, here is a picture taken by Sky's Robert Nisbet outside court and posted on Twitter:
10.10 Nick Squires, who is in Perugia to witness the culmination of Amanda Knox's 11 month appeal, said has said her statement to the court would be be crucial in her bid for freedom.
10.05 Amanda Knox's Dad is now keeping quiet on the case, refusing to talk to reporter after his daughter's dramatic statement, according to CNN's Matthew Chance.
#AmandaKnox dad refuses to comment on his daughters emotional courtroom plea
10.00 Amanda Knox's lawyer tells large media scrum outside court that his client has had to deal with a "huge character assassination" during the trial and that "people's perception of how she really is, is not the real Amanda".
09.55 Here is the latest wrap on Knox's emotional address made to the court in Perugia: Amanda Knox: 'I didn't kill, I didn't rape, I'm innocent'
Francesco Maresca (C), reads a statement outside Perugia's Court of Appeal (Picture: GETTY IMAGES)
Nick Squires tweets from Perugia:
That's it. the end of Knox's very emotional address. The jury is going out to make its decision. Expected to take several hours.
09.50 Nick Allen reports from Seattle
Amanda Knox's supporters in Seattle applauded her statement, and that of Raffaele Sollecito. They werre glued to a TV screeen in a Seattle hotel.
Susan Rosales, whose son graduated a year ahead of Amanda from Seattle Prep school, tells me:
I thought they both did a wonderful job. Amanda did what she's alway's done, she spoke the truth. I don't know how anyone can look at those two and and not see their innocence, but it seems that emotion rather than logic plays such a big part in all this. This could have been anybody's kid. She's a good kid."
09.45 The BBC's Daniel Sandford makes this observation from court just moments after Knox finished her statement:
#amandaknox sits down. She and her family are in tears.
09.43 The Italian judge has said there will be no verdict in Knox murder appeal before 1800 GMT
09.42 The court has now retired to consider its verdict. The court is not expected back until later this evening.
A nervous Amanda Knox arrives at court surrounded by security (Picture REUTERS)
09.37 The 24 year-old finishes:
I had good relationships with everyone who lived in my flat. We all had good relationships. We helped each other. I shared my life, particulary with Meredith. We were friends. She was worried about me. She was very kind to me. I have never run away from the truth. I insist after four desperate years, that our innocence is true and needs to be recognised. I want to go back home. I want to go back to my life. I do not want to be punished. I don't want my life and my future taken away from me for something that I didn't do. I am innocent. We do not deserve this. We never did anything to deserve this. I have the upmost respect to this court and the care that it has shown. Thank you.
09.35 She is speaking with real emotion.
I trusted the police's sense of duty and trust. I trusted them completely. I was betrayed on the night of November 5. I was manipulated. I am not who I say I am. I did not do the things attributed to me. I am not violent. I don't have a lack of respect for life. And I did not kill. I did not rape. I did not steal. I wasn't there at the crime scene at the time.
09.34: Knox, visibly shaking and fighting back tears, says she would have died if she had been at home that night.
How did we react when we found out Meredith had been killed? I did not believe it. How was it possible? Her bedroom was next to mine. She was killed in our home. If I had been there that night I would have died. The only difference is, I was not there.
Amanda Knox delivered an emotional plea to court. (Picture: REUTERS)
09.32 Voice breaking, without the aid of notes and speaking with emotion, she continues:
I am the same person I was four years ago. The only thing different is what I have suffered. I lost a friend, a girlfriend, in the most brutal way in the most unexplained manner possible. My trust in the police authorities was betrayed, I have had to dealt with unfair and unfounded charges. I have paid with my life for things that I did not commit. Four years ago I did not know what tragedy was. I have never faced so much anger before.
09.31 The judge tells a very nervous Knox that she can sit down. She refuses.
09.30 Amanda Knox addresses the court in fluent Italian:
Members of the court. Many times people have said I am the person (who killed) but people don't understand whom I am. The accusation are completely unjust.
09.28 He finishes:
On this bracelet I have written 'Free Amanda and Raffaele'. On this bracelet I have concentrated various emotions, a desire for justice and the effort on the path we have followed in this dark tunnel towards a light that seemed ever further away. Walking in a dark tunnel. The light at the end of the tunnel is very, very far away. The tenderness we have shown each other since that day belongs in the past. I know I represent the past, I hope there is a new future for Amanda and myself, which I think we deserve. Thank you.
09.26 That evening he says he and Knox just wanted to spend the evening "hugging" each other and being "tender" with each other - "Nothing else". Knox was a nice, sweet girl.
Raffaele Sollecito challenging his conviction in court on Monday (Picture: REUTERS)
09.22 He says he and Knox have been in prison for more than 1400 days, for 20 hours a day, in a cell that is about 2.5 x three metres big.
Even small things are of fundamental importance. Some comforting words - a hug. A show of affection, some tenderness. Somehow, for a moment you hope it will help you forgot everything. I hope these problems will be overcome. Having to deal with them every day is difficult. Our families have all made huge sacrifices.
09.17 He says that every day has been awful. He dimisses prosecution claims that he is Knox's boyfriend who "kills for nothing"
Every day I have been in prison I have felt dead.
09.14 Former Knox boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito now addressing the jury.
I have never, ever harmed anyone in my life. I have been in this nightmare and I have never ever woken from it.
09.13 Daniel Sandford says:
Can't read #amandaknox jury at all. They have listened to all with equal respect and attention. They know the consequences of their decision
Amanda Knox is led into court on Monday. (Picture: AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
09.11 Ghirga tells the court that she won't 'flee' America, she would in fact be free and will return home. "She won't be escaping anything".
09.07 The BBC's Daniel Sandford makes says the defence team are "working together". He posts on Twitter
Raffaele's lawyer Giulia Bongiorno nodding wisely as #amandaknox lawyer turns to her to reinforce a point. Defence working together.
Then
Ghirga says knife with #amandaknox DNA on it is not compatible with the wounds on Meredith Kercher's body
09.05 Amanda Knox chronology: timeline of a murder case. The key dates in the case against the American.
09.03 Knox's lawyer has 30 minutes to make his closing address then Knox is expected to address the court.
An Italian military police officer asks media representatives to leave the court during the appeal hearing of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito (Picture: AP)
09.00 Robert Nisbet, a Sky News journalist has posted this picture on Twitter of the court: "Edda Knox, Amanda's mother anxious before today's hearing. Foot tapping nervously, trying to read a book".
08.58 Damon Green, an ITV News journalist, has made this observation on Twitter.
All the tweets about Amanda Knox this morning: haven't seen Meredith Kercher mentioned. Not once. She was murdered.
08.53 Daniele Pinto, a British-based television journalist tweets:
#AmandaKnox local defense lawyer Ghirga says prosecutors used #MeredithKercher's family grief as evidence. #Perugia
08.47 Nick Squires tweets:
A verdict in the #Amanda Knox murder appeal not expected until this evening, according to the Italian press
08.43 Closing statements, in Italian, are underway.
Amanda Knox (left) and Meredith Kercher (Right) were housemates in Perugia. (Picture: AFP/ GETTY IMAGES/ FACEBOOK)
08.40 Some profiles on the key players, again from Nick in Perugia:
Who is Foxy Knoxy?
Amanda Knox's good looks and enigmatic behaviour thrust her to centre stage in the mystery surrounding the murder of Meredith Kercher.
The British victim: Meredith Kercher.
Meredith Kercher was just 21 when her near-naked body was discovered in a pool of her own blood in the house she shared with Amanda Knox and two Italians in Perugia.
Who is Raffaele Sollecito?
Raffaele Sollecito, the son of a wealthy doctor from southern Italy, had known Amanda Knox for less than two weeks when Meredith Kercher was found murdered.
Raffaele Sollecito is escorted into court by police officers (Picture: GETTY IMAGES)
Who is Rudy Guede?
Rudy Guede was the third person accused of murdering Meredith Kercher.
08.37 A very nervous Amanda Knox is led into court to a barrage of strobe flashes. She is in deep conversation with her lawyers.
08.35 The Telegraph's Nick Allen in Seattle writes:
A hardy group of Amanda Knox's supporters have gathered for an all night vigil at a Seattle hotel. They are determined to stay up for the appeal decision which is expected some time after 4am local time. Framed photographs of Amanda Knox, Rafaelle Sollecito, and Meredith Kercher have been placed in front of a television. Each photograph has a candle positioned in front of it. Some of the supporters have children who went to school with Amanda at the Jesuit school Seattle Prep. Over the last day they have received messages of support from as far afield as China and Brazil. Tom Wright, whose daughter was a school friend of Amanda, says she is the victim of a "perfect storm of misfortune.".
Members of the media wait outside Perugia's Court of Appeal ahead of the verdict. The case has sparked massive world-wide interest. (Picture: GETTY IMAGES)
08.33 Live Television pictures show barristers and lawyers in animated discussion ahead of this morning's addresses. The court is due to open shortly. The court is at standing room capacity.
08.32 The families have arrived at the Italian court. Knox's family fought their way into court through a crowd of press and cameras this morning, ahead of the final appeal hearing.
Asked if he was feeling nervous, her father, Curt Knox, said:
I'm nervous for Amanda.
Latest
15.45 The family press conference has finished. The family is due to hold another press conference tomorrow, post verdict.
15.35 Asked about their friendship, the family said they did not think they were not that close. Knox, they said, arrived in October and the murder happened the following month. The pair moved in different circles.
Stephanie Kercher (Picture: REUTERS)
Her mother Arline says:
We need to find out what happened.. to get her justice
Stephanie adds:
It is an appeal and they will do whatever they think is important on their side of the case. It is not necessary for us to focus on that. I don’t think it is about a case going wrong. We still believe what the prosecution presented to court is still relevant and it is not up to us to analyse that.
16.05 Daniele Pinto, tweets:
family lawyer Maresca: Financial compensation is really the last thing the Kercher family is now concerned with
16.00 David Munk, the Telegraph's foreign editor, tweets
Kercher family very dignified amid extreme pressure at that press conference. #knox
15.50 A tweet to lighten the mood on a very dramatic day in Perugia from John Hooper, the Guardian's Rome correspondent:
Right now, probably more beautiful ppl per sq metre o/side the #amandaknox trial courthse than anywhere on the planet #tvreportersrarelyugly
