Meredith housemate 'was at scene'

Miss Kercher was an exchange student in the Italian city of Perugia

The American housemate of murdered British exchange student Meredith Kercher was present at the scene of the crime, Italian police have said.

Investigator Giuliano Mignini claimed a bloody fingerprint belonging to Amanda Knox had been found on a bathroom tap.

Miss Knox, 20, her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 23, and Ivorian Rudy Hermann Guede, 20, are being held.

Leeds University student Miss Kercher, 21, of Coulsdon, Surrey, had her throat cut in Perugia, Italy, on 1 November.

Review evidence

Miss Knox has denied being at the house they shared on the night the Briton was murdered.

Congolese bar owner Diya Lumumba, 38, has been released from custody but remains a suspect. All four deny sexually assaulting and murdering Miss Kercher.

Perugia's public prosecutor, judge Claudia Matteini, will announce on Wednesday whether a second post-mortem examination will be held, according to local reports.

A document has been submitted to Ms Matteini ahead of a hearing on Friday which will review the evidence against Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito.

Mr Mignini said: "For such a brutal crime, and the expected penalty being very high, the idea of an escape to remove oneself from a possible guilty verdict and long sentence is justified.

"Amanda, if set free, could immediately flee to the United States, while Sollecito, who appears to have access to significant economic resources, could find a way to cover her tracks."

Played role

Last week, Italian police said DNA tests showed Mr Guede had sex with Miss Kercher on the night she died.

He was arrested on a train in Germany after failing to buy a ticket and is expected to be extradited to Italy within days.

Mr Guede has reportedly admitted being in the house at the time of the murder, but has insisted Miss Kercher was killed by a stranger.

Police do not believe the murder was premeditated but allege each of the suspects played a role.