Knox Prosecutor Slams Critical Report

A prosecutor in the Amanda Knox appeal has slammed an independent report which was critical of the forensic investigation into the murder of Meredith Kercher.

The report condemned the original investigation as poor and substandard, and its publication raised hopes that Knox could be released from jail.

Knox , 24, is serving 26 years for the killing of Meredith , 21, who was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in her bedroom of the house the two students shared along with two Italian women in 2007.

Knox and her co-accused, her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 27, have denied any involvement in the killing and have based their appeal on the report by the two court-appointed experts.

The court was shown a video in which officers examined the murder scene with dirty gloves, failed to wear protective headgear, picked up evidence by hand instead of tweezers and placed it in plastic bags instead of paper ones.

Prosecutor Manuela Comodi criticised the report which was written by professors Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conte, from the La Sapienza University in Rome.

''This was an embarrassing performance by these two experts who were inexperienced, aggressive towards the prosecution and inadequate - they betrayed your trust," she said.

"Would you entrust your daughter's wedding to caterers who knew all the recipes but had no idea how to cook?''

The report said the amount of Meredith's DNA on a 30cm kitchen knife found at Sollecito's house was so small it could not be re-tested and should be considered unreliable.

Crucially, it also said there was no trace of blood on the knife but that food starches were present.

Also contested was the idea that Sollecito's DNA was found on a a bloodied clasp from Meredith's bra which was found at the scene 46 days after the murder.

The report said the fact that it had been left for six weeks raised a very serious risk of contamination and the findings should not be ruled as conclusive.

The prosecution is asking the court to increase the sentences on Knox and Sollecito - who is serving 25 years - to life.

It could decide to uphold the sentence, clear them completely or rule that they were ''in some way involved'' but that it can not prove how - which could mean their sentences are considerably reduced.

The pair could even be freed immediately as they have been in custody and prison for four years already.

Knox's father Curt has already said the ''prosecution case is falling apart'' and he is ''hopeful of taking Amanda home'' with her mother Edda Mellas the rest of her family who have arrived for the end of the trial.

He has appealed to Meredith's parents and family to see that Knox had nothing to do with the murder.

''They are going through a living hell, they have lost their daughter, it's the worst thing that can happen to a parent but understanding the truth will allow them closure," he said.