Mafia gangster to claim his brother killed Meredith Kercher

convicted mobster is set to claim his brother killed Meredith Kercher during a bungled burglary, at Amanda Knox’s appeal.

Luciano Aviello is one of five serving prisoners who will be giving evidence at the convicted murderess’s appeal after a judge ruled their evidence could be heard.

Knox, 24, and her then boyfriend, Rafaele Sollecito, were found guilty in December 2009 of killing of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, from Coulsdon, in what prosecutors say was a sex game taken to the extreme.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito to 25 years for the murder.

Rudy Guede, a small-time drug dealer was imprisoned for 30 years during an fast track trial in 2009.

Meredith, a university student, was sharing a house with the American student while on a year abroad in Perugia, Italy.

The five prison witnesses are all expected to testify that neither Knox nor Sollecito had any part in the murder.

Aviello, a mafia gangster who is serving 10 years in prison, claims his brother, who is on the run from the police, killed the Coulsdon student when she disturbed him during a burglary.

Another witness is child killer Mario Alessi, who shared a cell with Guede. He is expected to claim the convicted murderer told him the pair were innocent.

Carlo Dalla Vedova, Knox's lawyer, told a national newspaper: “All of the five have very important evidence to give and we have taken statements from them and videotaped their interviews.

“They all say that Amanda and Raffaele are innocent - Aviello insists that his brother carried out the murder and he was given the keys and knife to hide.

“We asked that he be heard during the original trial after he wrote to the judge three times, but this was denied us.

“The decision made was the correct one and the five serving prisoners will all give evidence to the appeal - in essence they all heard in jail that Amanda and Raffaele are innocent and the court will hear them and decide.”

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