The ex-lovers accused of killing Meredith Kercher have been found guilty of her murder.

Amanda Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Raffaele Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years in prison at an Italian court in Perugia.

The Italian court heard the pair murdered Meredith Kercher in November 2007, with a third person, Rudy Guede.

The Ivorian drifter has already been convicted of the murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October 2008 in a fast track trial.

The three killed the Coulsdon student in a drug-fuelled sex game that went wrong.

Prosecutors said Sollecito held Miss Kercher down while Guede sexually assaulted her and Knox stabbed her to death.

The verdict was delivered shortly after midnight in Italy on Saturday morning.

Amanda Knox heard the verdict with her head bowed and started sobbing as soon as the judge read out the jury’s decision to a silent, packed court room.

Sollecito looked impassive as the judge read out the verdict and the sentences.

Miss Kercher’s family was in court for the end of the long-running case.

Stephanie, Meredith’s sister appeared to be crying as she was comforted by her family who were bundled into a car outside the court shortly after the verdict was read.

The court also ordered Knox and Sollecito to pay €1 million to Miss Kercher's mother and to her father.

Her two brothers and her sister would each receive €800,000 the court ruled.

Knox's lawyers have said she will be appealing the conviction.