Fury as notorious kiss between Amanda Knox and her lover Raffaele Sollecito is recreated for TV drama

THE notorious kiss between murder accused Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito has been recreated for a new TV drama — sparking fury among locals.

The pair were pictured in a passionate clinch days after the knife killing of their British flatmate Meredith Kercher, 21, in November 2007.

The kiss — which took place as cops searched the house where Meredith died in Perugia, Italy — led to claims that US student Knox, then 20, was a sinister seductress.

She and Italian Sollecito were later jailed for murder, acquitted and then convicted again, before being finally cleared following a further appeal.

US firm Hulu is filming an eight-part series, Blue Moon — seen from the perspective of Knox, who is played by Grace Van Patten with Giuseppe De Domenico as Sollecito.

The killing of University of Leeds exchange student Meredith, from Coulsdon, South London, embarrassed Italy at the time.

And the film crews in Perugia were greeted by blood-red ­banners with the words “Respect For Meredith”.

Mayor Vittoria Ferdinandi had apologised in advance to locals in an open letter for allowing filming to take place.

To avoid ­further protests, a replica of the murder flat has been built in ­Olevano Romano, 140 miles south.

Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresca blasted: “Knox does not want to close the chapter. This continuous stirring is a ­demonstration of a lack of sensitivity.

“She earns money, obtains visibility on TV after many years. It seems that Knox does not want people to forget about this story and does all she can to keep it alive.”

At their initial trial in 2009, Knox and Sollecito were found guilty of helping Ivorian drifter Rudy Guede kill Meredith in her room.

Knox was jailed for 26 years and her lover 25. In 2011, a jury acquitted them on appeal, over doubts raised about the forensic evidence.

In 2013 an appeal by prosecutors was upheld and a new hearing ordered. In January 2014, their guilty verdicts were reinstated by a court in Florence.

But in 2015, Italy’s highest court ruled Knox and Sollecito were innocent, ending the case with the conclusion Guede — freed in 2021 after serving 13 years — acted alone.

The couple split during the long court process and, following her release from jail, Knox returned to Seattle.

Now 37, she works as an author and activist, and is a co-producer on Blue Moon.

Sollecito is now a computer engineer.

They had been dating for a week when they came under investigation.

Knox has since said the kiss photo had created “bad vibes” — and claimed it was an act of comfort.

She explained: “I felt incredibly lost.

"I was sad and trying to understand, and Raffaele kissed me to console me as our language barrier prevented us from really being able to console each other with words.”