The family of murdered Coulsdon student Meredith Kercher say they are “satisfied” with the verdict of an Italian court that sentenced a man to 30 years’ jail for her killing.

Miss Kercher’s family were in court to see Rudy Guede sentenced to 30 years in prison and an Italian judge rule that American Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito would stand trial accused of murder and sexual violence.

Leeds University student Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, Surrey, died during what has been described as a violent sex game in Perugia, Italy, last November. She died of stab wounds after her throat was slit.

Miss Kercher's brother John said: "The judge certainly believes that he (Guede) killed our sister."

Her sister Stephanie described the judge's decision as "really important" for her family's steps towards obtaining justice for Meredith.

Her other brother Lyle added: "We're here because our sister was murdered, so 'pleased' isn't an appropriate word. Satisfied is probably the best we can say."

The family said it had always had "full trust" in the Italian justice system but refused to be drawn on its hopes for the outcome of the pending trial of Knox and Sollecito.

"The trial has got to be on what the evidence shows. We can't put what we want," said Miss Kercher's mother Arline.

The family was in court in the Umbrian hilltop town for the decisions, which Judge Paolo Micheli reached after 11 hours of deliberation.

Guede, 21, Knox, 21 and her former lover Sollecito, 24, have already spent nearly a year behind bars after the semi-naked body of Miss Kercher was found on November 2 last year in the cottage she shared with Knox and others on her year abroad.