Levi Bellfield, the man convicted of murdering teenager Milly Dowler has been refused permission to appeal against his conviction [8 February 2012].

Bellfield was convicted of her kidnap and murder and given a whole-life jail term for his crimes.

13-year-old Milly was abducted as she walked home in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey in 2002.

43-year-old Bellfield had already been convicted of murdering Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell, and for the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.

Conclusion 'clear'

The former bouncer is understood to have had his bid for an appeal heard by Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Mr Justice Wyn Williams and Mr Justice Maddison, who refused the killer the right to appeal.

The complaint from Bellfield's lawyers was in relation to the trial judge's decision to allow evidence of previous convictions to go before the jury. His legal team suggested an aim to "distort" the focus of the evidence.

Lord Judge said, however, that the court had reached the "clear conclusion" that there was in fact no basis for finding that the trial judge had made the wrong decision.

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