Convicted killer Knox faces months of appeal hearings

An anxious-looking Amanda Knox finally began her appeal yesterday against her conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

The American, who was jailed last year for 26 years for the brutal killing, walked past a sea of TV cameras and photographers to enter the court in the Italian city of Perugia, where she was joined by co-defendant and former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 26.

Knox, 23, gripped the sleeves of her cardigan and nodded while talking with her lawyers during the brief hearing.

Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann told the jury of five women and one man: "We have to get used to the idea that this is going to be a media trial."

But the vagaries of the Italian legal system were also apparent when it emerged that the appeal would proceed at a snail's pace - once a week on Saturdays - to accommodate Sollecito's lawyer, the MP Giulia Bongiorno, who is several months pregnant. The initial hearing lasted 20 minutes because Bongiorno had other commitments.

Although she is representing Sollecito in his parallel appeal, the hopes of both defence teams are thought to rest to a significant degree on this formidable lawyer's ability to undermine the prosecution's case.

Giancarlo Costagliola, the lead prosecutor, said yesterday that it was not standard procedure to schedule a trial around one of the participating lawyer's personal and political engagements.

But Hellman accepted the request from Sollecito's defence team, to ensure the appeal proceeded "in a serene atmosphere". The first appeal dates have been fixed for December 11 and 18 and January 15.

Luciano Ghirga, one of Knox's lawyers, said after the hearing he intended to challenge the entire basis of the conviction. "We're contesting everything from A to Z," he said. He expected the appeal to finish by March.

Knox's appeal is thought to be based mainly on a request for an independent review of the forensic evidence, particularly the DNA evidence from the knife that prosecutors said was the murder weapon.

Her stepfather, Chris Mellas, who has been living in Perugia since September to help her prepare for the appeal, appeared upbeat: "We feel as though we have a very good case. She's going to go home."

Sollecito's team will call for a review of DNA evidence and also ask for new expert testimony to be heard from computer experts that would place him at his own home when the murder was committed on November 1, 2007.

The judge is likely to rule on the forensic review shortly before Christmas.

Prosecutors are seeking to have the jail terms of both Knox and Sollecito increased to life sentences.

A lawyer for Kercher's family, Francesco Maresca, said the original sentence against Knox was "perfect" and said he would "call for justice again". He said the Kercher family is eager "to close this chapter".

A third defendant, Rudy Guede, was tried separately and had his 30-year sentence reduced to 16 years on appeal.

- Independent