Kercher murdered "to satisfy sexual instincts"

The trial of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher entered its third week with the accused Italian student making a plea of innocence before the court.

Sollecito, 24, stood before the court on Friday 6 February and made a statement, in which he said he considered himself "guilty of a judicial error" and that he could "not harm a fly."

Sollecito protested his innocence: "I have been in prison for a year and three months. But I have nothing to do with this situation. I am not a violent person and it has never entered my mind to kill anyone."

The court heard from the prosecution, who alleged the victims killers tried to cover their tracks by attempting to make it look like a burglary that had got violent.

The English student was found stabbed to death in Perugia on 2 November 2007. She had shared a flat with fellow exchange student Amanda Knox.

Sollecito, Knox and a third defendant, Rudy Hermann Guede were all charged with murder and sexual violence. However, Guede has already been sentenced to 30 years in prison after a fast-track trial took place at his request.

The ruling took place in October. In Italian courts it is customary to release a written explanation months after the decision is made. Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Judge Micheli. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are being tried as assailants in the murder.

Judge Micheli's explanation implicated the Italian and American and hinted that it was likely that "an agreed-upon plan to satisfy sexual instincts" got out of control.

The University of Washington student, Knox, and her then boyfriend, Sollecito, have denied the allegations. Prosecutors claim that Sollecito forcefully held her while Knox touched her with the point of a knife. Allegedly, Guede then tried to sexually assault her, the attack culminating in Knox stabbing Kercher in the throat.

As a result of Guede's sentencing in October, Sollecito's attorneys are arguing that justice has been served, and that he and Knox are not guilty.

The trial continues.