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17:30 GMT, Saturday, 18 July 2009 18:30 UK

Kercher trial in summer recess

Meredith Kercher

The trial of two people accused of killing British student Meredith Kercher in the Italian city of Perugia has been adjourned for two months.

Amanda Knox, and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, deny killing Ms Kercher, 21, in November 2007.

The body of Ms Kercher, from Coulsdon in south London, was discovered in the bedroom of the house she shared with Ms Knox in the Umbrian university city.

A third person, Rudy Guede, has been jailed for 30 years for the killing.

Prosecutors say Ms Kercher was killed after refusing to take part in a drug-fuelled sex game.

The Leeds University student's body was discovered with her throat cut.

Ms Knox claims she spent that night at Mr Sollecito's apartment where they ate dinner, smoked a marijuana joint, had sex and went to bed.

Speaking in fluent Italian while giving evidence, the 21-year-old from Seattle said police pressured her to wrongly implicate an innocent man, Patrick Lumumba, who employed her as a part-time barmaid.

She claimed police wanted her to name a suspect and had beaten and bullied her into making a false statement. The Italian police deny any misconduct.




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