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Ambi Sitham

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The True Injustice of the Meredith Kercher Trial

Posted: 05/10/11 01:00

The sensational decision to clear Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of the murder of Meredith Kercher has been received with predictable and understandable hysteria and not just from those closest to the case. Since the tragic and brutal murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007 the high profile case has gripped the attentions of the press and public across the world. Whilst Miss Kercher has almost been forgotten, Amanda Knox has achieved a status of infamy usually reserved to serial killers and mass murderers.

On her social networking site Miss Knox gave herself the nickname 'Foxy Knoxy' presumably as a nod to her looks and sexuality which, as with many young women on social networking sites, she used to gain attention and 'friends'. 'Foxy Knoxy' soon became a moniker adopted by both the tabloids and broadsheets in all too often sensational newspaper coverage regarding the case and the accused.

Whilst Miss Knox's moniker and sexual antics may have provided them good headlines and attracted readers this was not in my opinion in the best interests of justice. Indeed if the murder trial had been in the UK, many of the reports would have been deemed prejudicial and therefore amounted to contempt of court. Yes, her behaviour and reputation may have indicated that she was a narcissist and perhaps has questionable behaviour and perhaps one could go as far to say morals, but not necessarily more than many of her peers and certainly is not, in itself, evidence of her being a murderer. But her good looks and titillating behaviour proved too much of an opportunity for many mainstream publications and indeed threw most bloggers and users of social networking sites into a frenzy creating two camps, those pro Foxy Knoxy who felt the saucy sexpot was being unfairly judged and those who felt she is as the Prosecutor in the appeal said a she devil capable of murder for sexual satisfaction. The two sides often clashed viciously and since yesterday's decision their war of words has actually exploded over the internet.

The Prosecutor in the case (who himself faces allegations of wrongdoing and legal action for allegedly interfering with the course of justice in other cases he was involved in) seemed to have decided Miss Knox's guilt at the outset. And I believe his stance was based primarily on a moral judgment and dislike of her character. If one was being very harsh one could even go as far as to say that it seemed the hard evidence was merely supplemental and superfluous pesky legal requirements to his initial 'findings' and judgment.

It goes without saying that the combination of this judicial approach and media reports towards Knox equated to a vicious character assassination and resulted in a moral judgment of her that somehow extended to a legal judgment. Her portrayal as a sexually deviant she devil who killed Mereditch Kercher in a sex game that went horribly wrong has led many to claim that her conviction should have been upheld despite the fact that the original conviction of her and Sollecito was based on flawed and unreliable evidence.

Many are debating what the next step will be in this sorry saga. The Prosecution have made clear their intent to appeal the decision, such appeal will be the final stage of appeal allowed within the Italian justice system. In all likelihood it is unlikely that any such appeal will ever properly transpire given that Miss Knox will be safely back in the United States and it is highly unlikely that the US powers that be will agree to any extradition request.

As I said on ITV1's Daybreak yesterday, I don't believe we will ever know what really went on that fateful night and whether Rudy Guede acted alone or with others and if with accomplices, who they were.

What I am very sure of is that the manner in which this prosecution has been handled and the press reports have made it very difficult for justice to ever have been conducted properly. In turn this has denied Meredith Kercher and her family the justice and resolution they deserved. One can only hope that they take some comfort from the fact that Rudy Guede is in prison for his crime. Although a reduced sentence of 16 years for providing statements implicating Miss Knox and her boyfriend is a pitiful sentence for such a brutal crime especially given yesterday's acquittal.

As for Miss Knox she may never have to face a re-trial or the prospect of another stint in an Italian jail but due to the manner in which her case has been handled and her 'acquittal', it also follows that she and her co-accused will never be fully free from the dark cloud of suspicion that still hangs over them. Miss Knox may well become a millionairess from media deals and interviews and indeed from her behaviour and that of her family and supporters during the trial has shown every indication she will lap up her new found role as the innocent vixen. However, even if she is truly innocent those monies are blood money of sorts. I suspect in many ways she will be a pauper for life.

I wonder if those involved in the prosecution (who appeared to pay less attention to legal laws and more attention to their own moral laws) the media and the public who so like to be armchair judges will ever consider the implications of their reporting and campaigns on this case. Perhaps if they could for even one minute feel the pain of Miss Kercher's family they would think to act differently in similar situations.

One can only hope that out of such a tragedy and farcical legal proceedings will come a change in attitude and responsibility by all those involved who have, albeit perhaps inadvertently, added to the Kercher family's pain through their actions.

 

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The sensational decision to clear Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of the murder of Meredith Kercher has been received with predictable and understandable hysteria and not just from those closest to...
The sensational decision to clear Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of the murder of Meredith Kercher has been received with predictable and understandable hysteria and not just from those closest to...
 
 
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03:53 on 11/10/2011
Her monicar 'Foxy Knoxy" goes back to playing soccer days. She held three jobs to support herself in college. I live in Seattle, and have heard no scuttlebut about her. She may have had boyfreinds and done some drugs, but hardly unusual behavior for young women her age. The evidence is pretty clear that Rudy did it. unlike casey anthony, which lots of exlovers, freinds etc came forward to talk about her past behavior, there was little of that in Amandas case.
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Stacyhs
01:17 on 24/10/2011
The character assassination of Knox is one of, if not the most, egregious hatchet jobs I've ever seen by the tabloids. Anyone who buys or reads those rags has contributed to two innocent people being imprisoned for four years.
09:52 on 05/10/2011
Anyone who would confess to the police that she heard her ex-boss murder Meredith is a dispicable person. With no morals. Frankly who would not want such a person put away behind bars for a lot longer than 3 years she got for that.
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rylege
18:26 on 05/10/2011
Well when you are physically intimidated. especially when you are a 20 year old girl, you will say anything!
00:08 on 06/10/2011
yes, but why did she pick a black man to accuse, how did she know the colour of the murderer?
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Stacyhs
01:13 on 24/10/2011
I suggest you do some reading about false confessions. People have falsely confessed to murdering their own children and then been completely exonerated after going to prison thanks to DNA. In fact, 25% of cases where DNA later exonerated a person included false confessions by them.
09:48 on 05/10/2011
I also think this trial is a good reason why reporting restrictions should be in place for these kind of high publicity cases, this was no trial by jury, but trial by media!
photo
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Parade Keegan
I Can Hear You
09:22 on 05/10/2011
Miss Kercher has not been forgotten by me.
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Stacyhs
01:06 on 24/10/2011
Nor by those who believe Knox and Sollecito to be innocent. She was horribly murdered by Guede and did not deserve to have her young life ended so horribly.
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Marchmont
08:18 on 05/10/2011
It was a disgrace that the prosecutor Giuliano Mignini’s lurid sexual fantasies and hyperbolic descriptions of Amanda Knox as a "deviant she-devil" were permitted. The performance of the Italian forensic team was also deplorable and as bad as that seen in the British prosecution Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. It is highly unlikely Sollecito and Knox would have been found guilty in a US or UK court and little was left of the original case against them but spite, hearsay and malice. Yet Italy can be proud its system proved self-righting while the UK judiciary still struggles to admit any culpability in the manifestly un-safe verdict on al-Megrahi.
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Nanaama
10:59 on 05/10/2011
The same forensics and police evidence convicted Guede, but no one is raising any questions about his conviction. Pays to be white.
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rylege
18:28 on 05/10/2011
What sunk him was his DNA actually was all over the place! And he did not live there! She did. Also he fled to Germany!
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Stacyhs
01:07 on 24/10/2011
You might want to learn something about the overwhelming evidence that convicted Guede before jumping on the old racism bandwagon.
07:44 on 05/10/2011
Very sad case and a warning of the underlying threat of social networking. It's all part and parcel of growing up, wanting to project a different side of you, but what if...
As a mother I feel sorry for all concerned, I'm not taking sides but how awful it must be for all concerned to live through this.
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Stacyhs
01:09 on 24/10/2011
I agree. I don't think people realize just how much personal information is out there on the internet. People would be wise to watch what they say and what pictures they post. Young people, especially, never think how it could be twisted and used against them.