Man who killed Briton under surveillance

ROME — A Rome court has ordered that the man convicted in the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher and freed three years ago be placed under “special surveillance” over abuse allegations by a former girlfriend, Italian media reported Friday.

The order came after the former girlfriend filed a complaint last summer against Rudy Guede, a 36-year-old Ivorian convicted of the Kercher murder. It followed a December restraining order barring Guede from being within 500 yards of the woman and forcing him to wear an electronic bracelet.

Under the new ruling, Guede will also be banned from having any contact with his former girlfriend, including via social media. She was not identified in the reports. La Presse news agency did not clarify the date of the order.

Guede will also have to inform police any time he leaves his city of residence, Viterbo, in central Italy, the ANSA news agency said.

Guede has denied all the allegations against him, according to reports. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kercher’s murder in the university city of Perugia gained international notoriety after her American roommate, Amanda Knox, and Knox’s then-boyfriend were placed under suspicion. Both were initially convicted, but Italy’s highest court threw out the convictions in 2015 after a series of flip-flop decisions.

Guede was originally convicted in a fast-track trial procedure. He has denied killing Kercher. He was freed in November 2021 after serving most of his 16-year prison sentence.