MURDER suspect Amanda Knox made her first public appearance in almost a year yesterday at a hearing to decide whether she should be tried over the killing of a British student.
It was the first time Knox had been seen by the parents of Meredith Kercher, 21, who was found semi-naked and stabbed to death in the bedroom of her student digs in Perugia, Italy, in November last year.
Knox, 21, appeared to be handcuffed as sh
e was escorted into court flanked by guards.
She kept her gaze ahead and ignored a British journalist who shouted: "Did you do it Amanda?"
Knox was joined by Rudy Hermann Guede, 21, originally from the Ivory Coast, at the closed pre-trial hearing in Perugia.
There was no sign of the third suspect, Knox's former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, as Knox and Guede took their places in the courtroom.
A large crowd had gathered outside the court to see the start of proceedings, but the prison van taking them from Capanne entered through a rear gate.
Ms Kercher's parents, John and Arline, were joined by her sister, Stephanie, for the start of the hearing and were warmly greeted by Monica Napoleone, chief of the Perugia flying squad murder department.
Meanwhile, audio tapes were released of Sollecito's emergency call to police after they found the front door of the house where Knox and Ms Kercher lived open.
The tapes form a vital part of the case as police and prosecutors say the first call was made after officers had arrived following the discovery of a mobile phone belonging to Ms Kercher in a garden.
In the tape Sollecito says: "Hello, someone has broken into the house through a window and made a real mess. There is also a locked door. There are signs there is blood in the bathroom.
"Also, one of the doors is shut, it's the room of one of the flatmates. We have tried calling her on the phone but there is no answer."
Court sources said Sollecito's legal team had asked for an earlier interrogation to be discounted because he had no lawyer present.
They were also arguing on a technicality that Sollecito's exact role was not explained in court documents relating to the murder.
Judge Paolo Micheli also agreed the Kercher family, as well as the owner of the house, could sue for damages if Knox, Sollecito and Guede were found guilty.
Last night, after more than eight hours in court, the judge ruled Guede's fast-track trial could go ahead. Under Italian law fast-track trials are heard on paper evidence and with no witnesses, or a small number, permitted to testify. The defendants, if found guilty, are usually given a reduced sentence.
The hearing was adjourned until 26 September. Four further dates were set for October, when a decision is expected.
Michael Howie
INSIDE HOME AFFAIRS
Homing in on domestic violenceNICOLA Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, yesterday took the opportunity of a conference on tackling domestic abuse to try to convince her audience the Scottish Government was committed to fighting violence in the home.
"Violence and fear should not be part of anyone's life. That is why the Scottish Government has been so committed to tackling all forms of violence against women," she told the conference, organised by Scottish Women's Aid.
Most of those in her audience were support workers who every day see the devastating consequences of domestic abuse and violence that is believed to affect nearly half of women at some point in their lives – with an estimated 100,000 children and young people suffering its effects.
While they welcomed Ms Sturgeon's strong words – and the pledge to spend £44 million to reduce violence against women – many have serious reservations about the crucial role of local authorities.
The Scotsman has learned two out of three local authorities have failed to pledge any crackdown on violence against women in the "single outcome agreements" between central government and local agencies.
That has raised fears that, in this brave new world of greater local government autonomy and de-ringfencing of funding, refuges and other vital support services are being overlooked when the cash is doled out.
An unpublished report by Scottish Women's Aid found that 21 local authorities made no specific commitment to address domestic abuse with their local partnerships.
The report says this is "disappointing", adding: "Our analysis of the 32 single outcome agreements has underlined our concerns."
One leading campaigner said: "We are very concerned about the poor reflection of commitment to tackle domestic abuse in the local authorities' single outcome agreements."
Scottish Women's Aid is keen to raise awareness of the issue with local women's aid groups.
They hope next year, when community planning partnerships get a say in how local authority budgets are spent, the voices of groups working to end abuse will be heard by council leaders.
The organisation also wants ministers to establish national indicators so the full extent of violence against women in Scotland is recognised.
