Court hearing for Kercher trio

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American student Amanda Knox arrives in court flanked by police guards

Three suspects in the murder of Briton Meredith Kercher are waiting to hear if they will face trial in Italy.

American Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and Ivory Coast citizen Rudy Guede deny sexual assault and murder.

Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was found semi-naked with her throat slit in the bedroom of her Perugia flat on 1 November.

Mr Sollecito did not attend the pre-trial hearing, but the other two were present, as was the Kercher family.

Separate trial

The judge will decide if the trio will face a trial, although Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresco said any ruling would be unlikely to be made until the end of October.

Mr Guede plans to ask for a separate trial from Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito if he is indicted, as he fears them making a pact against him, his lawyer said last week.

Stephanie Kercher pays tribute to sister Meredith ahead of the hearing

Valter Biscotti said he would seek a fast-track trial, which is shorter and often leads to shorter sentences.

Cleared suspect Diya "Patrick" Lumumba, the Kercher family and the owner of the house where the murder happened have been admitted as civil plaintiffs by Judge Paolo Micheli - meaning they could eventually sue for damages, according to Mr Lumumba's lawyer Giuseppe Sereni.

Mr Lumumba is suing Miss Knox for falsely implicating him in the murder.

Miss Kercher's parents John and Arline, and sister Stephanie paid tribute to her on Monday in a statement read by Stephanie.

The family said: "Each time we arrive in Perugia, we wish we were here for a different reason."

Meredith trial reaches court

She described her sister as a "a significant part of so many lives due to her caring, loving nature and laughter" and said the family was still struggling to understand why she was "so cruelly taken" from them.

She added: "We are pleased we have reached a new phase in the process, hoping that justice will soon be done for Meredith."

Miss Kercher lived with Miss Knox and others on Via Della Pergola in Perugia.

Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito have been in jail since November, while Mr Guede was arrested later in Germany and extradited to Italy in December.