Kercher family still cannot forgive her murder

The family of murdered British student Meredith Kercher still finds it difficult to forgive her murder, her brother and sister said on Monday, just hours before an expected verdict in an appeal by American student Amanda Knox.

It's difficult to speak of forgiveness at this time. Four years is a very long time but on the other hand, it's not and it's still very, very raw, Lyle Kercher told a news conference.

The Kercher family has maintained a relatively low profile in what has become a global media sensation, especially in contrast to the massive public relations campaign mounted by Knox's family.

Mez (Meredith) has been almost forgotten in all of this, her sister Stephanie Kercher said.

Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are appealing against their 2009 convictions for the murder of Kercher, who was found with her throat slit and with multiple stab wounds in the Perugia apartment she shared with Knox.

Lyle said his family had tried to keep its dignity and were putting their faith in the ability of the court to maintain its objectivity in the face of what had developed into a large PR machine.

Forgiveness doesn't come into it at the moment. Without a final ending to everything, it will be difficult to forgive anything at this stage, Stephanie said.

What everyone needs to remember, is the brutality of what actually happened that night and everything that Meredith must have felt that night. Everything she went through, the fear, the terror and not knowing why. She didn't deserve that, no-one deserves that, she loved this place, she said.