A FOOTPRINT found at the house where British student Meredith Kercher was murdered is "compatible" with that of her alleged killer, an Italian court has heard.
Forensic scientists using the chemical compound Luminol – which glows blue in the presence of blood, even if it has been cleaned – found four key bare footprints at the house.
The court in Perugia was told that imprints were taken of Amanda Knox,
21, her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 25, and Rudy Guede, 21, while they were in custody.
Ms Kercher, 21, was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the bedroom of the house she shared with Knox in 2007.
Police scientist Dr Lorenzo Rinaldi said one of the footprints was found on a bathmat, visible to the naked eye, while Luminol detected others in the corridor leading from Ms Kercher's bedroom to the one Knox stayed in.
Dr Rinaldi was also asked by the judge, Giancarlo Massei, about a shoeprint found on a blood-splattered pillow in Ms Kercher's bedroom.
Mr Massei said: "Do we know what size that shoeprint is?" Dr Rinaldi replied: "It's between a 37 and a 38." Judge Massei then asked: "What size shoe does Amanda Knox wear?" and Dr Rinaldi replied: "She wears a 37."
Sollecito addressed the court, as he is allowed to under Italian law, and said the "footprint in the bathroom cannot be mine and my technical experts will explain why later".
The trial has been adjourned until 22 May. Last October, Guede was sentenced to 30 years for the murder and for sexually assaulting Ms Kercher.
