Knox fails in her bid to halt Kercher trial

The American woman accused of murdering British exchange student Meredith Kercher today failed in a legal attempt to have the murder case against her abandoned.

Lawyers for Amanda Knox applied to have her murder trial "annulled", claiming the forensic evidence presented by prosecutors was botched.

The move came as legal proceedings in the trial resumed after a two-month summer break. Knox, 22, and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25, are accused of the brutal sex murder of Miss Kercher, 22, from Coulsdon, who was found semi-naked with her throat cut in the house they shared in Perugia in 2007.

They are contesting the DNA results heard earlier in the trial which prosecutors say show that DNA from Sollecito was found on a bloodied metal hook from Miss Kercher's bra discovered in the bedroom. Knox's legal team also argued that evidence which suggested that DNA from her was found on the handle of a 30cm kitchen knife, while DNA from Meredith was found on the blade, was invalid.

The knife was found during a police search of Sollecito's flat and it has been described in court as "compatible" with the murder weapon — although the actual knife has never been found.

Today both sets of lawyers argued that the trial should be declared "null and void". But trial judge Giancarlo Massei threw out the request, saying the tests had been carried out correctly and the "defendants' rights had not been harmed".

During a break in proceedings Knox's father Curt said: "Amanda is really looking forward to the trial restarting — there is no DNA evidence against her at all anywhere in that house."