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24 September 2011
Last updated at 10:50 ET
Prosecutors have used their concluding statements in the appeal of two people convicted of killing a British student to defend the DNA evidence in the case.
American Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty in 2009 of the murder of Meredith Kercher, from south London, in Perugia, Italy.
Independent experts have questioned the reliability of evidence from a knife and Miss Kercher's bra clasp.
Prosecutors showed jurors how they believed the bra had been cut from her.
Manuela Comodi, one of the prosecutors giving closing statements, also showed the jury photographs from the crime scene.
Bungled sex game The prosecution is due to finish its summing up on Saturday. Closing arguments from the Kercher family's lawyer and the defence are due to be heard next week.
US student Knox, 24, and Sollecito, 26, were convicted of the 2007 murder of Miss Kercher in her bedroom after a bungled sex game. Miss Kercher's throat had been cut.
Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, south London, had been sharing a flat with Knox in Perugia while on an exchange year abroad from the University of Leeds.
Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and her former lover Sollecito to 25 years.
They have spent almost a year appealing against their convictions.
Their case has centred on a review of DNA evidence which suggested that evidence was flawed.
During the original trial, prosecutors said Knox's DNA was found on the knife's handle and Miss Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They also said Sollecito's DNA was found on Miss Kercher's bra clasp.
'Risk of contamination' Independent experts have suggested that the evidence fell short of international standards, with police failing to wear the correct protective equipment.
Police also often used plastic bags to wrap evidence instead of paper, increasing the risk of contamination, said Stefano Conti, from La Sapienza University in Rome.
A colleague, Carla Vecchiotti, said that the genetic profile on the knife's blade which was attributed to Miss Kercher could not be attributed with certainty.
The original testing did not follow recommendations of the international scientific community for dealing with DNA testing, she added.
Ms Vecchiotti said the review concurred with the original tests which found the genetic profile on the knife's plastic handle could be attributed to Knox.
A third person, 21-year-old Rudy Guede, was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.
The outcome of the appeal is expected by early October.
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American Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty in 2009 of the murder of Meredith Kercher, from south London, in Perugia, Italy.
Independent experts have questioned the reliability of evidence from a knife and Miss Kercher's bra clasp.
Prosecutors showed jurors how they believed the bra had been cut from her.
Manuela Comodi, one of the prosecutors giving closing statements, also showed the jury photographs from the crime scene.
Bungled sex game The prosecution is due to finish its summing up on Saturday. Closing arguments from the Kercher family's lawyer and the defence are due to be heard next week.
US student Knox, 24, and Sollecito, 26, were convicted of the 2007 murder of Miss Kercher in her bedroom after a bungled sex game. Miss Kercher's throat had been cut.
Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, south London, had been sharing a flat with Knox in Perugia while on an exchange year abroad from the University of Leeds.
Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and her former lover Sollecito to 25 years.
They have spent almost a year appealing against their convictions.
Their case has centred on a review of DNA evidence which suggested that evidence was flawed.
During the original trial, prosecutors said Knox's DNA was found on the knife's handle and Miss Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They also said Sollecito's DNA was found on Miss Kercher's bra clasp.
'Risk of contamination' Independent experts have suggested that the evidence fell short of international standards, with police failing to wear the correct protective equipment.
Police also often used plastic bags to wrap evidence instead of paper, increasing the risk of contamination, said Stefano Conti, from La Sapienza University in Rome.
A colleague, Carla Vecchiotti, said that the genetic profile on the knife's blade which was attributed to Miss Kercher could not be attributed with certainty.
The original testing did not follow recommendations of the international scientific community for dealing with DNA testing, she added.
Ms Vecchiotti said the review concurred with the original tests which found the genetic profile on the knife's plastic handle could be attributed to Knox.
A third person, 21-year-old Rudy Guede, was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.
The outcome of the appeal is expected by early October.
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