Sollecito slams ‘persecution’ at Kercher trial
(By Sandra Cordon) (ANSA) – Florence, November 6 – Raffaele Sollecito told a hearing Wednesday that he felt “persecuted” by the Italian justice system in its prosecution of him and his ex-girlfriend Amanda Knox for the 2007 killing of British exchange student Meredith Kercher.
During his first appearance at a retrial of the case, ordered by Italy’s top appeals court after Sollecito and Knox were acquitted in 2011, Sollecito also called the accusations against him absurd and said that he is not “a ruthless killer”.
“I feel towards me a senseless, shocking persecution,” Sollecito, his voice breaking at times, told the retrial hearing that opened in Florence in September.
“I would like to make you understand that these charges against me are absurd,” he told a packed hall as hundreds gathered for the hearing. Many did not find chairs in the 150-seat hall but instead lined the walls and waited outside to glimpse the participants. That did not include Knox, who had said she would not attend the new trial. Sollecito also asked the court to “correct the errors” of those who have condemned him.
Sollecito and his American ex-girlfriend were convicted in 2009 of the murder of Kercher, who was found dead on the floor of an apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia in November 2007.
They both spent four years in prison, including the time before their first conviction, before each was acquitted on appeal in 2011.
Earlier this year Italy’s supreme Court of Cassation scrapped the 2011 decision by a Perugia appeals court quashing the 26-year and 25-year sentences that Knox and Sollecito were handed respectively at the original trial.
The court strongly criticized the way the appeals court had dismissed important DNA evidence, ordering the whole process to begin again.
Sollecito described Knox as his “first true love,” noting that he was 20 when he first fell for Knox – which he said was older than many when they experience first love, but explained that was because he was “cautious”.
In the early days of their love affair, they were wrapped up in each other, he said.
“We were thinking of anything but the distorted, scornful vision of humanity of which we are being accused by the whole world,” he said.
He added that he is from an “honest” family and was raised to tell the truth, and living through such high profile case with international media scrutiny and criticism has been a terrible strain.
Later, one of his lawyers later said she thought Sollecito’s statement had shown his true character.
“That is Raffaele – his voice breaking as we have seen today, is the authentic Raffaele,” said Giulia Bongiorno.
“He is genuine”. However, the lawyer for the Kercher family lawyer was not convinced, saying his words would be carefully evaluated.
“We are accustomed to his statements, we take note,” said Francesco Maresca. At Wednesday’s hearing, police experts elaborated on their findings that a knife thought to be the murder weapon did not have Kercher’s DNA on it, though traces of DNA from Knox have been found. The knife was retrieved from Sollecito’s kitchen where the former couple had originally said it was used for cooking.
Knox and Sollecito’s lawyers have said this destroys the prosecution’s case. A third person, Rudy Guede of Ivory Coast, was convicted in a fast-track trial and is serving a 16-year sentence for the sexual assault and murder of Kercher.
However, the Court of Cassation found it unlikely that he acted alone. A sentence is expected on January 10 in the new trial, which the presiding judge on Wednesday adjourned to November 25.
Further hearings were also scheduled for November 26, December 12 and 17, and January 9 and 10.