Three in court over Meredith murder

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

American Amanda Knox, 21, her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 24 and Rudy Hermann Guede, 21, originally from the Ivory Coast, are due to appear before a judge at a closed pre-trial hearing in the Italian town of Perugia.

Speaking ahead of the hearing, the family of Miss Kercher said they hoped justice would finally be done. Her parents John and Arline and sister Stephanie spoke out as they arrived in the Italian town where Meredith was killed last November.

Miss Kercher was found semi-naked with her throat slit at the home she shared with Knox and others in Via Della Pergola in Perugia on the night of November 1, 2007.

The three suspects have been accused of killing her in a bungled sex game.

Cleared suspect Diya "Patrick" Lumumba is also expected to be in court. He is suing Knox for falsely implicating him in Miss Kercher's murder.

In a statement read by Stephanie, the family said: "Each time we arrive in Perugia, we wish we were here for a different reason. It is so easy to understand why Meredith loved this city. She loved everything about Italy but the fact she chose Perugia over other cities shows how important her year abroad was for her.

"Perugia is definitely a place of culture, a place to get to know people and learn. We only wish she'd had more time before being brutally taken from us. Maybe she'd have been keen to learn in our country if it had been as famous for chocolate as Perugia."

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: "Mez was such a genuine person that when we think of her now and when we see her friends we don't need to say anything, we just need to smile. This is why she will never be forgotten. We are pleased we have reached a new phase in the process, hoping that justice will soon be done for Meredith."