Car Park Film Casts Doubt on Story of Kercher Suspect

Doubt was yesterday cast on the latest version of events supplied by the flatmate of the murdered British student, Meredith Kercher, when it was reported that she had been filmed returning home at a time when she says she was with her boyfriend.

Edda Mellas, the mother of 20-year-old Amanda Knox, said at the weekend her daughter had reverted to her original story that she spent the whole of the night of November 1, when Kercher was killed, at her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito's flat.

However, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera said a CCTV camera captured Knox as she let herself in by the front door at 8.43pm. Police sources were unable to confirm the newspaper's account. The moment at which the young American is said to have been filmed is 17 minutes before the estimated time of Kercher's death, as reported by the judge overseeing the inquiry. According to forensic experts, there is a margin of error of about one hour either way.

The newspaper said the images registered by the CCTV camera, in a nearby car park, were quite sharp.

They would be doubly significant if, as reported, Knox was alone.

The prosecution case is that the American student returned home with Diya Lumumba, a local bar owner and musician, who was arrested last week with Knox and Sollecito. All have denied a role in the killing.

Lumumba has protested that he spent the evening at his bar.