PERUGIA – An Italian appeals court nearly halved the sentence yesterday for an African immigrant convicted of assisting in the murder of a British woman during a drunken sex game.
Rudy Guede (22), originally from Ivory Coast, had his sentence reduced to 16 years from the 30 years he was given after he was convicted last year of involvement in the murder of exchange student Meredith Kercher (21). Ms Kercher’s partly nude body was found with her throat slit in a flat she shared with American Amanda Knox in the university city of Perugia on November 2nd, 2007.
Prosecutors believe Knox had persuaded Guede and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, to take part in an extreme sex game involving Kercher.
Guede’s lawyer, Nicodemo Gentile, had asked for a reduction in his sentence because of his young age, lack of a previous criminal record and difficult family history.
He told the court Guede “certainly did not carry out the murder” even though his DNA was found on Kercher’s body. In a trial earlier this month, Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to 26 and 25 years. Both say they are innocent and will appeal. – (Reuters)