Amanda Knox's co-defendant having psychological problems

Sollecito, 25, also defended his ex-girlfriend who he called "sweet Amanda," saying she was incapable of murdering her roommateMeredith Kercher two years ago.

"I don't even dare think of such a thing. It's absurd and impossible. She is a very sweet girl," Sollecito's lawyer Luca Maori quoted him as saying.

Knox, 22, was also convicted of Kercher's murder and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Rome's daily newspaper Il Messaggero interviewed Sollecito through Maori who visited the convicted murderer in Terni prison in central Italy where he is being held. Sollecito is confined in a section of the prison reserved for inmates who have committed sexual crimes.

oth Maori and Sollecito's sister have expressed concern for his mental state and have said he is "very psychologically tried."

Speaking to the Italian news agency Ansa, Maori said Sollecito continues to suffer from "space-time perception" and an inability to understand fully what has happened to him to the point of repeatedly asking to be released.

In the Il Messaggero interview, Sollecito conceded he is having difficulty accepting what has happened to him.

When they read the sentence I didn't understand what was happening and even now it seems impossible to me and I can't understand why I have been sentenced," he said.

Like Knox, Sollecito continues to declare he had no part in Kercher's sexual assault and murder.

Maori said Sollecito is getting the maximum support from prison health officials and is never left alone, even during the holidays. Sollecito and Knox both intend to appeal their convictions, but in the interview with Il Messaggero, Maori quoted Sollecito saying he was afraid of what might happen next.

"I should be trusting, but it is very difficult. My world has collapsed around me with that sentence. It collapsed around me and Amanda," he said.

As part of their defense, Sollecito and Knox said they were not at the Perugia cottage the night that Kercher was murdered. Instead, they said they were together at Sollecito's place where they smoked pot and made love.

Sollecito, who dated Knox for only a few weeks before they were arrested, said he is not in love with Knox but she remains important to him.