By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 2:19am BST 02/04/2008
The family of Meredith Kercher, the British student murdered in Italy, expressed their horror after a graphic video of her corpse was broadcast on Italian television.
The images, which were recorded by forensic police as they gathered evidence, were shown during a documentary about unsolved crimes on Telenorba 7, a local television network in the southern state of Puglia. Raffaele Sollecito, 24, one of the three suspects in the case, is from Bari in Puglia.
Around two-and-a-half minutes of footage clearly showed Miss Kercher's body, which was partially hidden by a duvet, and the stab wounds in her neck. Her eyes were covered by a mask.
The video also contained images of Miss Kercher after the duvet was pulled back, from her head to her stomach. Another sequence showed her lower half after the body had been turned over.
Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon in south London, was stabbed three times in the neck in her house in Perugia after apparently refusing to take part in a sexual game.
Lawyers for Sollecito and the two other suspects in the murder, Amanda Knox, 20, and Rudy Hermann Guede, 21, appeared before the Supreme Court in Italy to ask for their clients to be released because of a lack of evidence against them. The appeal was refused and all three remain in prison.
However, Guede has already allegedly told investigators that Knox was in the house at the time of the crime and claimed that he saw Sollecito holding a knife.
The video also demonstrated how some of the evidence in the case had deteriorated between the first search of the house, conducted on November 2, the day after the body was found, and a second search that was carried out on December 18. Miss Kercher's bra, which carried traces of DNA from Sollecito, is recorded in the first video as white, but had been moved and soiled by the time the second search was carried out.
Italy's Order of Journalists has asked for the video to be confiscated so that it is not shown again. Francesco Maresca, the lawyer for the Kercher family, said they had been "distressed and shocked" by the television footage.
"This is an example of gross journalistic misconduct, which evidently violates all the rules of how to report a story," he said.
"I spoke with Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, about the programme and she was shocked and upset.
"At the moment, I do not know whether the family intends to pursue a court case against this pathetic journalistic initiative, but obviously the editor of the programme will have to take responsibility for it."
Anna Maria Ferretti, the director of Antenna Sud, a leading Italian television programme in the south, said: "For five minutes of television, the ultimate taboo has been broken without any shame."
Enzo Magistà, the editor of the television programme, said: "When I decided to transmit the images of Meredith’s corpse, I did not have the least intention of violating anyone’s dignity, but merely to do my job with respect to an important event."
Telenorba cancelled a repeat of the programme that was due to air on Tuesday night.
The family of Meredith Kercher, the British student murdered in Italy, expressed their horror after a graphic video of her corpse was broadcast on Italian television.
id be pretty horrifed too!
jazakallahu khair for the share...
...desperate for husnul-khitaam...
please make dua that Allah grants me a good end (to my life). please make dua that Allah guides me.
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Jaa-Ro-Nee-Mo!!!
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks