Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have both been cleared of the murder of Meredith Kercher following an appeal against their conviction. Rudy Guede remains in prison and his conviction is unaffected. Amanda Knox’s conviction for defamation was upheld though she was freed because of time already served.
The case has been closely followed internationally by British, American and Italian readers keen to find out who killed the promising English student and whether the American, Knox, or her former boyfriend were really involved in the sexually sadistic way alleged by prosecutors. The appeal has gone to the heart of complex forensic evidence thresholds, the veracity of witnesses and even the reputation of the Italian investigators, who had previously worked on an unusual spate of killings dubbed the Monster of Florence.
In a televised interview on Tuesday morning, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, sought to re-focus attention away from the conspiracy theories and speculation back to the tragedy of Meredith Kercher’s death and the suffering of her family.