A teenager found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Jodi Jones has failed to have his conviction overturned.

Jodi, 14, was stripped, tied up and stabbed to death in woods near her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, on June 30, 2003.

Luke Mitchell, 19, was detained for life with a minimum of 20 years behind bars in February 2005 after the longest single-accused murder trial in Scottish legal history.

The teenager has constantly claimed his innocence since he was found guilty of the murder - one of the most high profile cases to come before a Scottish court in recent years.

Lawyers for Mitchell argued he did not get a fair trial and was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

But three senior judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh have ruled that his appeal against conviction should be refused.

Mitchell was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh after a trial based entirely on circumstantial evidence.

Three crucial areas of evidence, known as the "three keys" convinced the jury that he was responsible for the brutal killing of Jodi.

But when the case reached the Appeal Court in Edinburgh earlier this year, Mitchell's lawyers argued an "enduring sense of unease" surrounded the evidence used to convict.

During the wide-ranging appeal, prosecutors, police and the trial judge faced some degree of criticism from the defence, who claimed Mitchell was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

His defence counsel Donald Findlay, QC argued there was not enough evidence to find Mitchell guilty beyond reasonable doubt and that police made errors as they investigated the case.

Mr Findlay also claimed Mitchell did not get a fair trial because his case was heard too close to where the crime took place.

It was further asserted that "emotional" media coverage in the wake of the killing - and coverage "hostile" to Mitchell - would have had the greatest impact in the minds of people living in and around the Scottish capital.

Mitchell's fate was decided by three senior judges at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh; Lord Hamilton, who is the Lord Justice General, Lord Osborne and Lord Kingarth.