Amanda Knox convicted just moments ago inside an Italian courtroom.
This morning.
The 16 year old slander case stems for the night
she was interrogated about a roommate's murder.
Our foreign correspondent James Longman is there in Florence, Italy
with the very latest.
Good morning, James.
Yeah, Good morning, Robin.
A shock decision this morning.
Amanda Knox came here to clear her name, but she
has just been convicted by this court of slander of
implicating another person in the murder of Meredith Kercher.
She has been sentenced to three years, though she will
not serve any of that time given how much time
she has already spent in jail.
Her team says she'll appeal this morning, Amanda Knox facing
another guilty verdict in an Italian courtroom.
She was fighting yet again to clear her name once
and for all.
But this time, a 16 year old slander conviction upheld
stemming from the murder case of her British roommate Meredith
Kercher.
In an emotional 10 minutes speech before the verdict, Knox
telling the court why she wrote the note at the
centre of the trial, at times trembling.
Her lawyer speaking after the verdict.
He must be in shock today.
Yes, of course this this OK with the big surprise
we were looking for having a dismissal and we don't
know exactly what is the logic behind this decision.
Knox was accused of pinning the killing on a Congolese
bar owner who she worked for part time while studying
abroad in Italy.
The accusation based on two statements she signed while in
police custody for Kercher's murder.
The now 36 year old wife and mother of two
discussed the slander charge on her podcast Labyrinth last December.
My argument is that I was coerced into making into
signing those statements, and I never intended to implicate myself
or others in a crime that I didn't commit.
Kirch's death spiraled into an international media frenzy.
Back in 2007, Knox and her former boyfriend Rafael Solicito
were accused of murder, a crime for which she was
wrongfully convicted and spent almost four years in an Italian
prison.
Italian authorities are also charging and convicting Rudy Gede for
the murder in 2008.
He'd come to Italy as a child from the Ivory
Coast.
His DNA was found at the scene.
In 2015.
Both Knox and Solicito had their convictions overturned.
Amanda Knox being found guilty means that that final blemish
after a long saga of being found guilty and then
ultimately exonerated in a brutal murder of her then British
roommate will remain.
That even though the slanderous statements were found not admissible,
that the prosecution found no way to still uphold the
conviction.
Now, Rudy Geddy was the man convicted of the murder
of Meredith Kercher.
He spent thirteen years in jail of a 16 year
sentence.
He was released in 2021, but he's under enhanced surveillance.
He's wearing A tag because he's been accused by his
ex-girlfriend of abuse.
As for Amanda Knox, well, this saga just continues, guys.
Now quite a turn of events.
All right, James Longman for us.
Thank you.