Becky Watts' killers lose bid to appeal convictions
The killers of teenager Becky Watts have lost the first stage of an attempt to challenge their convictions and sentences.
Nathan Matthews, Becky's step-brother, was jailed for 33 years for the murder of the 16-year-old, while his partner, Shauna Hoare, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 17 years.
Both applied to the Court of Appeal to challenge the outcomes, but a judge dismissed both applications. The pair can still make a renewed application.
A spokesman for the judiciary has confirmed that the pair's applications for permission to appeal against conviction and sentence have been refused.
But it remains open to Matthews and Hoare to renew their applications before a panel of three judges at the Court of Appeal in London.
Just over a year since Becky was murdered, her dad, Darren Galsworthy, spoke to ITV News about his "fears" if her killers were ever released from jail.
He compared Nathan Matthews, and his girlfriend Shauna Hoare to the serial killers Fred and Rose West.