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Two on trial over Kercher murder Kercher case to be held in public
(about 2 hours later)
The trial of two people accused of murdering British student Meredith Kercher is opening in Italy. An judge in Italy has ruled that the trial of two suspects for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher will be heard in public.
American Amanda Knox, 21, and Italian Raffaele Sollecito, 24, have been in jail for more than a year accused of the killing in Perugia. American Amanda Knox, 21, and Italian Raffaele Sollecito, 24, appeared in front of an eight-member jury in a courthouse in Perugia.
A judge will decide on Friday whether their trial should be held in private. A lawyer for the Kercher family had tried to bar the press and public to stop some evidence being made public.
Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, south London, was found dead in November 2007. Rudy Hermann Guede, 21, has already been jailed for her murder. Judge Paolo Micheli reserved the right to hold some sessions in private.
He said the court would decide on a case-by-case basis when to do this.
As the trial began the defendants were seated next to their lawyers and guarded by prison officers.
Miss Knox wore jeans and a gray, hooded sweat shirt.
During proceedings, she smiled and chatted with an interpreter, while Mr Sollecito wearing beige trousers and a bright green sweater, looked tense.
Both deny the murder of 21-year-old Meredith, found stabbed to death in November 2007 in the apartment she shared with Knox.
Meredith Kercher's partially-clothed body was found locked in her bedroom
A third suspect - 21-year-old Rudy Hermann Guede, born in Ivory Coast - was jailed last October for 30 years.
Prosecutors claim the Leeds University student was killed as part of a bungled sex game involving Guede, her housemate Miss Knox, from Seattle, and the American's ex-boyfriend Mr Sollecito, from Bari in southern Italy.Prosecutors claim the Leeds University student was killed as part of a bungled sex game involving Guede, her housemate Miss Knox, from Seattle, and the American's ex-boyfriend Mr Sollecito, from Bari in southern Italy.
She is not a victim, but the media has created a false picture of Amanda. Amanda Knox's lawyer Miss Kercher had been studying in Perugia as part of the Erasmus student exchange programme.
Miss Kercher had been studying in Perugia as part of a foreign exchange programme. Miss Knox's family are trying to block the publication of a book about the murder case written by an Italian journalist.
Guede, who pleaded guilty to her murder in a "fast-track" trial last year, was jailed for 30 years. Before the trial started, Miss Knox's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, confirmed that his client was seeking 500,000 euros (£450,046) in compensation for damage allegedly already caused by the book and articles published in an Italian daily newspaper.
More than 140 members of the press are said to have requested access to the current trial and Miss Knox's legal team are believed to favour an open hearing. He said too much "sensitive information" about the sex life of the Seattle-born foreign exchange student had been published.
They are attempting to block the publication of a book about her written by an Italian journalist. Mr Ghirga said: "She is not a victim, but the media has created a false picture of Amanda.
Miss Knox's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, confirmed that Miss Knox was seeking 500,000 euros (£450,046) in compensation for damage allegedly already caused by the book and articles published in an Italian daily newspaper.
He said too much "sensitive information" about the sex life of the Seattle-born foreign exchange student has been published.
Mr Ghirga said of his client: "She is not a victim, but the media has created a false picture of Amanda.
"We still hope she will get a fair trial though.""We still hope she will get a fair trial though."
The trial is expected to last for several months. A large number of journalists from the national and international press have descended on Perugia for the beginning of the trial, which could last up to a year.