An Italian court has ordered jailed US student Amanda Knox to stand trial for slandering policemen during the investigation into the killing of her British flatmate.
Knox, whose original trial created a global media sensation, was sentenced to 26 years jail in December for her part in the murder of Meredith Kercher after what judges said was a frenzied sex game which spiralled out of control.
Knox was charged with slandering police after accusing officers of beating her during the original investigation. The slander charge is separate from the murder case itself, which is due to go to an appeal hearing on November 24th.
Her trial for slander will begin on May 17th, prosecutors said. Her lawyer last month said the slander charges could have a significant impact on the main case.
Kercher's partly unclothed body was found on November 2nd, 2007 locked in her blood-spattered bedroom in the house she shared with Knox and two other students in the university town of Perugia.
Knox looked glum as she left the courtroom under police escort after the ruling.
Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and another man, Rudy Guede, have also been convicted for their part in the murder of Meredith Kercher.
