Amanda Knox re-convicted of slander after accusation again innocent man

Knox has been re-convicted of the slander of Italian bar owner Patrick Lumumba, who she publicly blamed for the murder of her previous roommate 21-year-old Meredith Kercher in 2007. She was at the centre of the case in which Ms Kercher was murdered in the Italian town of Perugia in 2007.

Both Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were suspected of her murder and an eight-year legal battle, which resulted in her conviction and subsequent exoneration. At the time of the trial, Knox was also convicted of the slander of Mr Lumumba however this was quashed in 2023 and a retrial was ordered.

The court in Florence has now ruled once again that she wrongly accused Mr Lumumba of the murder. However, she will not serve any more jail time as she already served four years in prison before her murder conviction was quashed.

Knox’s lawyer, Carlo della Vedova, said after the hearing: “Amanda is very embittered”. He added that her legal team expected her to appeal against the new conviction.

Speaking Italian, Knox said during the trial: "The police threatened me with 30 years in prison, an officer slapped me three times saying 'Remember, remember'. "I'm very sorry that I wasn't strong enough to withstand the pressure from the police.

"I never wanted to slander Patrick. He was my friend, he took care of me and consoled me for the loss of my friend (Meredith). I'm sorry I wasn't able to resist the pressure and that he suffered."

Ahead of the hearing, she wrote on social media that she had been hoping to “clear my name once and for all of all the false charges against me”.