Knox appeal is a black cloud over us, say Meredith family

The family of Meredith Kercher have told how they will continue to live under a "black cloud" until the appeal of those convicted of the British student's murder is over.

As parents John and Arline Kercher arrived back in Britain last night with their children John, Lyle and Stephanie, after the end of the 11-month trial, they spoke of the heavy toll the tragedy has taken on them.

They described the loss of the 21-year-old as a "life sentence" and said her bedroom at the family home remains untouched, with everything neat and tidy, just how she left it.

Lyle, 30, said the family was pleased with the guilty verdicts for Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, but added they have not got "closure".

He said: "There is going to be an appeal so it's going to continue for another nine or ten months. It's not that we can draw a final line under it. It's more of a dotted line. It's not closure, it's another stage in the process. It's a black cloud hanging over us."

Speaking after the verdicts in Perugia, shortly after midnight on Saturday, Mrs Kercher, 64, who is estranged from her husband,  said the family had been "living a nightmare" for two years.

"We're the ones who have been given a life sentence," she said. "We have to live with what's happened. People say time heals — but it doesn't."

She added her daughter's bedroom at their home in Coulsdon, Surrey, remained as she had left it when she left to study in Perugia. She said: "It's still Mez's room and has barely been touched. It's not a shrine to Meredith but it is a constant reminder of her.

"When I'm walking past with a pile of washing in my hand I get a feeling of sadness. It's almost as though she's just gone out and will be back in a while."

Miss Kercher, a Leeds University student, was killed in November 2007 on an exchange year abroad. She was found semi-naked and with her throat slit in her bed at the cottage she shared with American Knox, 22, and two other girls.

Knox was led from the court screaming "No, no!" after she and her 25-year-old Italian former boyfriend were convicted of murder and sexual assault. Prosecutors said the killing was the result of a drug-fuelled sex game.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to meet the senator from Knox's home state of Washington after a backlash in America against the verdict.