Read the judge's report

Meredith Kercher, the British student murdered in Perugia, was killed for refusing to take part in a drug-inspired sex game, according to an official report compiled by the judge investigating the case.

Judge Claudia Matteini suggests in the leaked report that Amanda Knox, Ms Kercher's American flatmate, and Raffaele Sollecito, Ms Knox's Italian boyfriend, were seeking "new sensations" and attempted to persuade the victim to take part in an extreme sexual act.

A third man, Patrick Diya Lumumba, had wanted to have sex with "a girl he desired but who refused him", the report stated.

All three are being held in custody, where they can be held without charge for up to a year.

Police believe that Ms Knox held the victim down during a prolonged sexual assault by Mr Lumbumba, gripping her fingers so tightly that she left an imprint on Ms Kercher's skin. When Ms Kercher continued to resist a knife was drawn and her skin was punctured.

Her cartoid artery remained intact, the report said, resulting in a "relatively slow" and agonising death.

The hypothesis presented in the report suggests that Mr Lumumba had "intimidatory" sex with Ms Kercher, who was subjected to "extreme sexual experiences" before she was killed.

The murder weapon belonged to Mr Sollecito, although it is unclear who wielded the knife, Judge Matteini said.

Giving the reasons for her decision to allow the detention of Mr Sollecito, Ms Knox and Patrick Diya Lumumba, Judge Matteini said that the knife had been used to first threaten and then kill Ms Kercher.

She said that the weapon, which is thought to be a flick knife, was one that Mr Sollecito "always carried with him".

Judge Matteini said that there was enough evidence in the case to hold the trio and that there was sufficient risk that the two foreign suspects, Ms Knox and Mr Lumumba, a Congolese immigrant musician and bar owner, could flee the country. Under Italian law, the three can be held in custody for up to a year before charges are brought.

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