Thursday, March 04, 2010

Judges’ Sentencing Report Released In Perugia And It Is 427 Pages Long

Posted by Peter Quennell


Judge Massei is seen above on live TV from the court on the night he announced the verdict and sentence.

The sentencing report is four times the length of the Micheli report a year ago which itself was very detailed. It was made available to the media today on paper by the court in Perugia.

First take in the Italian media is by TGCom.

The judges of the Court of Assizes of Perugia lodged the grounds for the condemnation of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox for the murder of Meredith. All the issues raised in the process, it says, “demonstrate a comprehensive and unified whole, without gaps and inconsistencies”...  The reasons for conviction of two defendants are contained in a voluminous file. It is 427 pages signed by the President of the Court Giancarlo Massei and assessor Beatrice Christians.

The motive is described in the report as essentially the thrill of the moment in helping Rudy with a sexual attack and while there was a predisposition there was no longer term intention.

Drugs are seen as having played a role.

Sollecito and Knox are apparently seen in the report as the knife wielders and one of them seems to have delivered the fatal blow.

We will be obtaining the report of course and arriving at our own English-language version in the next several weeks.

RIP poor Meredith. This has to be so tough on her family and her friends. We love this photo below. So trusting and so full of life.


Posted by Peter Quennell on 03/04/10 at 02:17 PM in The officially involved,  The judiciary,  Trials 2008 & 2009,  The Massei Report,  Amanda Knox,  Raff Sollecito

Comments

Hi Peter,

I am looking forward reading your next article on the judges sentencing report, even though I sense that it won’t hold any surprises.

Edda Mellas and Curt Knox already announced they were waiting for the report as well in order to prepare for the appeal process. Hope is the last to die!

Posted by Nell on 03/04/10 at 02:41 PM | #

Thanks Nell. The document has not yet been released in electronic form (as the Micheli report was) and may not be at all. It will go up on the Ministry of Justice website in Italian the next few weeks.

Meanwhile we are working out how to adjust to handling a paper-only report as our Italian translators are on three continents: Europe, USA and Australia.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 03/04/10 at 02:58 PM | #

Thanks to you and your translators for working so hard to get the truth out. You, Skep and many others are giving balance to the absolutely disgusting PR machine the Knox/Mellas family is spinning. Sometimes I am unsure if Amanda’s parents are just plain stupid and therefore don’t notice how hurtful their comments must be for the family and friends of Meredith Kercher or if they just don’t care at all - possibly both.

Posted by Nell on 03/04/10 at 03:22 PM | #

Good luck to all the translators - we really need you, even if it may be a painful as well as a laborious task

Posted by Ann-Marie on 03/04/10 at 04:35 PM | #

Today Guede said: “chi sa’ parli” (those who know must talk). I am sure Sollecito’s attorneys will make him talk at one point.

Posted by Cesare Beccaria on 03/04/10 at 05:03 PM | #

Thanks for the update and good wishes and godspeed to our intrepid translators!

Posted by mojo on 03/04/10 at 05:06 PM | #

Thank you Peter for softening the long awaited news of the report with a reminder of the good and gentle Meredith. Her sweet face reminds us all of who was lost here. Peter, you have always kept Meredith, and she is a symbol of all victims, at the forefront of our minds. Bless you for that. She was a lovely girl, a loving daughter, a good friend and sister. The world is a poorer place for having lost such a beautiful soul. For all the quiet, good and gentle ones this site holds a light, through Meredith. For all the noise and fury Meredith just ‘is’. Like her family, gentle and good. It is wonderful to have her spirit embodied in your work here. Work that is for good, and light and truth. May she rest in peace and may her family find some closure soon.

Posted by TT on 03/04/10 at 05:13 PM | #

427 pages of what legal commentators are saying is an excruciating detailed explanation of the reasoning behind the verdict.

427 pages!

Guedes report was 104 pages and contained something like 52,000 words!

Let’s compare this to ‘Guilty’ in the US system.  And, an automatic right of appeal. A complete review and not just reduced to legal error only.

Yes Oprah, ” ..... if you’re gonna get trailed for murder, do it the the US”.

HAs anyone asked Knox which legal system she prefers?

Posted by Chan on 03/04/10 at 05:38 PM | #

Peter, if this report is released in eletronic form, could you please give us a site we could download it from. I’ld like to read every word of it, even if it’s just google translated.  Thanx

Posted by John on 03/04/10 at 08:43 PM | #

I’ve read a small part of it on La Stampa online, and noticed an interesting thing:

The jury noticed that Sollecito was known to still need help and family support, as demonstrated by the daily calls his father was having with him. This shows he is a fragile young man, and the father wanted to be as close as possible.

Posted by Patou on 03/05/10 at 12:43 AM | #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

Where next:

Click here to return to The Top Of The Front Page

Or to next entry Sentencing Report: La Repubblica Has The Most Substantive Report So Far Today

Or to previous entry This Was Definitely Not A Close Or Indecisive Case - Reasonable Doubt Was In Fact Totally Eliminated