A woman who says she was raped by Meredith Kercher's killer has broken her silence and spoken for the first time about her “violent relationship” with him.
Rudy Guede, 36, allegedly attacked his 23-year-old ex-partner in the home they shared, leaving her, he said, 'covered in bruises'.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a complaint against Guede – who served 13 years for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith – earlier this year.
A judge has ordered him to wear an electronic tag and is banned from coming within 500 meters of his ex-partner, who is an experienced rider.
The woman who first met Guede two years ago said: 'Rudy started abusing me from the start of our relationship, but I would always forgive him.
Rudy Guede, 36, (photo arrived at a hearing on December 10) allegedly attacked his 23-year-old ex-partner in the home they shared leaving her, she says, 'covered in bruises'
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, filed a complaint earlier this year against Guede – who served 13 years for the murder of British student Meredith (pictured) in 2007.
'Even when he left bruises on my body and then incredibly blamed me. Rudy destroyed me, he controlled me, violated me and humiliated me.
“I don't want another woman to go through what I went through.”
At a hearing earlier this month in Viterbo, Italy, where he lives, Guede insisted he never assaulted his ex-girlfriend and claimed she had “hurt herself while exercising.”
He added that sex between them was “consensual”, although he admitted that the relationship was sometimes “toxic” and that they often argued.
Guede is accused of attacking the Italo-Somalian woman between September 2022 and August this year.
The woman added: 'It was a difficult and exhausting personal decision that I had to make alone.
'I have suffered and I am still suffering. There are people who have even distanced themselves from me, apart from one friend who has always supported me and opened my eyes.
'Thanks to her and the help of a phycologist, I now have the strength to do this. I understood that what I was experiencing was not justified and ultimately I managed to put myself first.
'But I have to say I was scared and that's why it took me so long to file a complaint. There was a moment when I was really afraid of him.
'He tried to keep me quiet and not to file a complaint. He was encouraged by the fact that in two years I had never reacted to his behavior.'
The woman added that she was afraid “no one would believe her” and explained that one of the reasons she delayed reporting Guede was because he told her he would “be sent back to prison and commit suicide.” commit'.
She continued, “But even after we broke up and I filed the complaint, he came to where I lived and where I worked, messaging me and calling me all the time.”
She also described having no idea Guede had been convicted of murder as she was only eight years old in 2007, when the crime was originally committed in Perugia.
The woman said: 'At first he just seemed bright and gentle and he was always trying to help people.
'I would never have fallen in love with someone who was evil, or who exhibited the characteristics of the things he did to me.
'It was my first real relationship, a relationship that unfortunately was not healthy. He was always in control of me, and he tried to continue that even when we broke up.
“He was always in charge, and he wouldn't let me do any of the things I wanted to do because it was always about his needs and his interests.”
(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 26, 2008, Rudy Guede from Ivory Coast (C), one of three suspects in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, leaves a court hearing in Perugia
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito both spent four years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder
An undated photo shows British exchange student Meredith Kercher in Perugia
View taken on November 5, 2007 of British exchange student Meredith Kercher's home in Perugia, November 5, 2007
She described the alleged violence as follows: 'In reality it started from the beginning, but I didn't understand it.
'I always forgave him, even when he left bruises on me, and then he would blame me and say it was my fault that he reacted the way he did.
'I have not reported any bumps, but injuries resulting from pushing and attempts to strangle me to stop me from moving.
'Then spitting, violence, bruises that are not consistent with a fall from a horse, as he claims.
“There were also fingerprints and you don't get those if you fall off a horse.”
Revealing how she learned of his conviction from friends, she added: 'That was a difficult moment and I was shocked. Yes, he told me I had been in jail, but he didn't go into details.
'When I finally asked him about it, he said not to make a big deal about it and that it was a painful time in his life.
'I believed him and I gave him the opportunity to show me who he really was. I feel betrayed for defending him even when others attacked him.
“I was with him until his personality really came out and it came out against me. I'm not sure if it has to do with his past.
“All I know is that I wanted to create something beautiful between us with him, but in the end I had to fight to stay healthy, but I'm still not in a good place.
“I can't sleep and I keep thinking about everything that happened and I don't know if I can ever trust another man.”
Meredith was on a year abroad from the University of Leeds when she was found half-naked and stabbed to death in the bedroom of her home in Perugia.
Guede was originally sentenced to 30 years following an expedited trial in 2008 after his DNA was found at the scene, but this was later reduced to 16 years.
He has always maintained his innocence, saying he was consensual with Meredith and when he returned from the bathroom, he found another figure in the house who had attacked her.
Guede had his term reduced to 16 years on appeal and was granted day release in 2017 and began working on a degree in sociology.
Three years ago he was entrusted to social services to perform community service and in 2021 he was released on parole for good behavior and finally released from his sentence in June.