Judges at the Florence Court of Appeals upheld Amanda Knox's three-year prison sentence for slandering Patrick Lumumba, a bar owner in Perugia, accusing him of involvement in the murder of British student and Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher, who was killed in Perugia on November 1, 2007. At the time of the events, Knox, questioned by police on November 6, had mentioned Lumumba's name and speculated about his role in the affair. The man spent 14 days in jail, except that he was later declared totally innocent of the facts. "I would never have testified against Patrick," the 36-year-old U.S. woman said at the hearing, claiming she did so because she was under intense pressure from investigators. "Patrick," she said, "was not only my boss at work, but also my friend. Before the arrest, he consoled me for the loss of my friend. I regret that I was not strong enough to resist the pressure and that he suffered as a result," added Knox who appealed the 3-year prison sentence under an ECHR conviction against Italy for violation of rights in the libel case.
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