Kercher family lose fight to hold murder trial behind closed doors (From Croydon Guardian)

Kercher family lose fight to hold murder trial behind closed doors

12:10pm Saturday 17th January 2009 in

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The family of murdered Croydon student Meredith Kercher have failed in their attempt to try two suspects behind closed doors.

The trial of American Amanda Knox, 21, and Italian Raffaele Sollecito, 24, begun yesterday for the murder of the Old Palace School girl.

Meredith, 21, was murdered while studying in Perugia - her body was found semi-naked with her throat cut in a house she was renting on November 2 2007.

Prosecutors claim that Knox and Sollecito murdered the Leeds University student with the help of Rudy Guede, 21, in a sex game that went wrong.

A Kercher family lawyer had tried to bar the press and public to stop some evidence being made public.

But Judge Paolo Micheli said he would decide on a case-by-case basis.

Court officials in Perugia say that over 130 media organisations have applied for press passes to attend the trial.

It is expected that over 250 witnesses will be called and the trial could last several months.

This time last year Meredith's mother Arline Kercher, who lives in Fairdene Road, spoke exclusively to the Croydon Guardian about the family's first Christmas without her daughter.