An Italian appeals court nearly halved the sentence today for an African immigrant convicted of assisting in the murder of a British woman during a drunken sex game.
Rudy Guede (22) and originally of Ivory Coast, had his sentence reduced to 16 years from the 30-year sentence he was given after he was convicted last year of involvement in the murder of exchange student Meredith Kercher (21).
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, central Italy, 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, which turned violent.
Guede's lawyer, Nicodemo Gentile, had asked for a reduction in his 30-year sentence because of his young age, lack of a previous criminal record and difficult family history.
He also told the court that Guede "certainly did not carry out the murder" even though Guede's DNA was found on Kercher's body and he has admitted he was in the house at the time of the killing and had sexual relations with the victim.
In a separate trial earlier this month, Knox and Sollecito were sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison, respectively.
Both say they are innocent and will appeal.
The case has attracted huge media attention both in Italy and abroad. Knox's conviction sparked outrage in the United States, with her family calling the sentence a failure of Italy's judicial system.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said the United States will provide consular support for Knox (22) during the appeal.
Reuters