The Special Criminal Court has refused Brian Meehan leave to appeal against his conviction last July for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
The court also turned down an application by Meehan's lawyers for leave to appeal against his sentence for drugs and firearms offences.
Meehan (34), of no fixed abode and formerly of Clifton Court, Dublin, and Stana
way Road, Crumlin, Dublin, was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 29th after he was convicted of the murder of Ms Guerin (36) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, on June 26th, 1996.
He was also given concurrent sentences of 20 years and 12 years imprisonment for drugs offences and 10 and five years for firearms offences connected with the major drugs gang behind the journalist's murder.
Yesterday, Meehan's counsel, Mr Michael O'Higgins, submitted that the court had erred in law on a number of grounds relating to the trial.
Mr O'Higgins submitted that the court had erred in law by not acceding to a defence application to halt the trial because of an abuse of process. He also submitted that Meehan was wrongly convicted of Ms Guerin's murder because it had failed to properly scrutinise the evidence of Russell Warren, a member of the drugs gang and self-confessed accomplice.
Mr O'Higgins also said that the court had failed to assess the evidence properly, which it said corroborated Warren's evidence in the trial and therefore Meehan had not received a fair trial.
He also submitted that the court had erred in law in accepting telephone evidence produced during the trial and in accepting this as corroborative evidence for Warren. He said the court also erred in accepting fingerprint evidence relating to Meehan and he submitted that there was insufficient evidence to connect Meehan to the firearms and ammunition offences.
Mr Justice Morris refused leave to appeal.
The court granted legal aid to Meehan in the event of an appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal.