Ex-boyfriend tells of 'beautiful, innocent' Amanda Knox

The former boyfriend of Amanda Knox today said she was a "beautiful" person as he insisted they were both innocent of murder.

Raffaele Sollecito, 27, denied any involvement in Meredith Kercher's murder, saying he and Knox deserved a "new future" after the "suffering" they had been through during the past four years. The former student said: "I just want to tell the court how much I have been suffering.

"I just want to say I never hurt anyone, never in my life." He added: "I hoped that this would have all been cleared in a short time - instead it did not happen this way."

Sollecito, who is serving a 25-year sentence, paused several times and took several sips of water as he spoke. He said: "Every day in jail is like a death, it's like dying in jail. Amanda and I have been in jail for 1,400 days. These 1,400 days have been spent 20 hours a day in a space 2.5 metres by 3 metres - it's difficult to imagine that situation."

Turning to the night of Meredith's murder Sollecito said: "I was in a beautiful situation. I was about to hand in my dissertation for my final degree. During that period I met Amanda Knox, she was beautiful, sunny, lively and sweet and that was supposed to be our first weekend together."

Painting a romantic picture, he said: "We were free that night. Our only aim that night was to have an evening of tenderness and cuddles. The other descriptions just did not happen. This was our simple desire."

Sollecito ended his speech by taking off a white rubber bracelet he was wearing which had the words "Liberta per Raffaele e Amanda" (Freedom for Raffaele and Amanda) and asking if he could hand it to the judge.

Sollecito said: "On this bracelet is concentrated several emotions. Desire for justice, strength and a walk that we have made in this dark tunnel towards a light that seemed ever further away.

"There is also the desire of freedom and the effect of tenderness from when we met. With this bracelet is linked a story and it represents the past and for Amanda and I, new hope for us, a new future. I think we deserve this."

Sollecito did not tell the court where he was on the night Ms Kercher was killed and lacked the detail of Knox's testimony.

The computer science graduate is the son of a wealthy doctor from southern Italy who hired a top legal team to defend his son. It is led by Giulia Bongiorno, who successfully defended former Italian premier Giulio Andreotti on charges of mafia association.

Sollecito has been portrayed as a pampered son. He had his own apartment in the university town instead of dormitory accommodation. He also drove an expensive car and had a maid.