Vicitim's family "pleased" at guilty verdicts

The family of murdered British student Meredith Kercher have said they are pleased with the verdict against her killers but there was "no celebration". American Amanda Knox, 22, was jailed for 26 years on Friday after being found guilty of Miss Kercher's murder and sexual violence. Vicitim's family "pleased" at guilty verdicts Her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25, was given 25 years. Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University student from Surrey, was found with her throat slit in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The pair had denied killing her in a sex game but prosecutors said Sollecito held her down while Knox stabbed her to death. Small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 22, had been jailed for 30 years for his part in the murder last October. In a statement read to a press conference in Perugia, Miss Kercher's brother Lyle said: "Ultimately we are pleased with the verdict. "It's not a time for celebration. It's not a moment of triumph. "We are all gathered here because our sister was brutally murdered and taken away from us. "Of course, there were two very young people who have been sentenced yesterday to a very long time behind bars." Meredith's mother Arline told reporters: "At the end of the day you have to go on the evidence because there's nothing else." The family praised the efforts of police, prosecutors, and jurors during the two years since Miss Kercher's death, with sister Stephanie thanking the public for their messages of support. Meanwhile, Knox's parents have maintained their daughter's innocence. Her father, Curt, told American television reporters he did not understand how his daughter could be convicted. Speaking of his reaction to the verdict, he said: "Anger, just disbelief on how a judicial system could even come up with a verdict like this. It's beyond me." The family maintain the prosecution failed to explain why there was no evidence of Amanda in the room where Miss Kercher died. They also claimed media "attacks on Amanda's character" had swayed the jury. Police are still not certain why Knox, Sollecito and Guede were all at the house together, but they suspect it involved a drugs transaction. They cornered Miss Kercher in her room and began some kind of sex game which ended with her being held down while Knox cut her throat with a six-inch kitchen knife. Her semi-naked body was found in a pool of blood. Afterwards they tried to make the death look like part of a failed burglary, breaking the window in Miss Kercher's room to look like forced entry. But police realised that was not the case. Knox's odd behaviour after the body was found also aroused suspicions - she was reported to have performed a cartwheel and done the splits while waiting to be questioned by police. After the judge read the verdict to a hushed court, Knox buried her head in her lawyer's chest and sobbed. Her sister Deanna wept uncontrollably as Knox was led out of court crying. Miss Kercher's family lawyer, Francesco Maresca, said they were satisfied with the verdict. He said: "They got the justice they were expecting. We got what we were hoping for. "With what we got with the Guede sentence last year, we have obtained truth and justice for this tragic event." Knox's family left court in tears, fighting through the crowds of journalists gathered outside. In the wake of the verdict's delivery, a spokesman for her parents said they would immediately start the process of appealing against the guilty verdict. In Seattle her grandmother, Elisabeth Huff, added: "They didn't listen to the facts of the case. All they did was listen to the media's lies." The court ordered Knox and Sollecito to pay one million euros to Miss Kercher's mother and the same amount to her father. Her siblings would each receive EUR 800,000, the court ruled. Knox was told she must also pay EUR 40,000 compensation to local barman Patrick Lumumba, for falsely accusing him of the murder. Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, had been sharing a house with Knox, also a student, on her year abroad in the Umbrian hilltop town. The trial of Knox and Sollecito started on 16 January this year. The jury deliberated for 13 hours before reaching its verdict.

Vicitim's family "pleased" at guilty verdicts

Her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25, was given 25 years.

Miss Kercher, 21, a Leeds University student from Surrey, was found with her throat slit in Perugia, Italy in 2007.

The pair had denied killing her in a sex game but prosecutors said Sollecito held her down while Knox stabbed her to death.

Small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, 22, had been jailed for 30 years for his part in the murder last October.

In a statement read to a press conference in Perugia, Miss Kercher's brother Lyle said: "Ultimately we are pleased with the verdict.

"It's not a time for celebration. It's not a moment of triumph.

"We are all gathered here because our sister was brutally murdered and taken away from us.

"Of course, there were two very young people who have been sentenced yesterday to a very long time behind bars."

Meredith's mother Arline told reporters: "At the end of the day you have to go on the evidence because there's nothing else."

The family praised the efforts of police, prosecutors, and jurors during the two years since Miss Kercher's death, with sister Stephanie thanking the public for their messages of support.

Meanwhile, Knox's parents have maintained their daughter's innocence.

Her father, Curt, told American television reporters he did not understand how his daughter could be convicted.

Speaking of his reaction to the verdict, he said: "Anger, just disbelief on how a judicial system could even come up with a verdict like this. It's beyond me."

The family maintain the prosecution failed to explain why there was no evidence of Amanda in the room where Miss Kercher died.

They also claimed media "attacks on Amanda's character" had swayed the jury.

Police are still not certain why Knox, Sollecito and Guede were all at the house together, but they suspect it involved a drugs transaction.

They cornered Miss Kercher in her room and began some kind of sex game which ended with her being held down while Knox cut her throat with a six-inch kitchen knife.

Her semi-naked body was found in a pool of blood.

Afterwards they tried to make the death look like part of a failed burglary, breaking the window in Miss Kercher's room to look like forced entry. But police realised that was not the case.

Knox's odd behaviour after the body was found also aroused suspicions - she was reported to have performed a cartwheel and done the splits while waiting to be questioned by police.

After the judge read the verdict to a hushed court, Knox buried her head in her lawyer's chest and sobbed.

Her sister Deanna wept uncontrollably as Knox was led out of court crying.

Miss Kercher's family lawyer, Francesco Maresca, said they were satisfied with the verdict.

He said: "They got the justice they were expecting. We got what we were hoping for.

"With what we got with the Guede sentence last year, we have obtained truth and justice for this tragic event."

Knox's family left court in tears, fighting through the crowds of journalists gathered outside.

In the wake of the verdict's delivery, a spokesman for her parents said they would immediately start the process of appealing against the guilty verdict.

In Seattle her grandmother, Elisabeth Huff, added: "They didn't listen to the facts of the case. All they did was listen to the media's lies."

The court ordered Knox and Sollecito to pay one million euros to Miss Kercher's mother and the same amount to her father.

Her siblings would each receive EUR 800,000, the court ruled.

Knox was told she must also pay EUR 40,000 compensation to local barman Patrick Lumumba, for falsely accusing him of the murder.

Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, had been sharing a house with Knox, also a student, on her year abroad in the Umbrian hilltop town.

The trial of Knox and Sollecito started on 16 January this year.

The jury deliberated for 13 hours before reaching its verdict.