'Essex Boys' killer Michael Steele fails in review bid
- Published
Steele was jailed in 1998 for the murders of three men
A man jailed for life for a gangland triple killing has failed to have his case reviewed for a second time.
Michael Steele, 69, was jailed in January 1998 with Jack Whomes, 51, for the so-called "Essex Boys" murders at Rettendon, near Chelmsford, in 1995.
Steele, of Great Bentley, near Colchester, was contesting an earlier ruling not to allow an appeal.
The High Court refused to grant Steele a judicial review into the decision by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Steele, and Whomes, of Brockford, Suffolk, were jailed for life at the Old Bailey for the murders of Tony Tucker, 38, Pat Tate, 37, and Craig Rolfe, 26.
The three men, all drug dealers, were found shot dead in a Range Rover on an isolated farm track.
Steele and Whomes have always maintained their innocence of the killings, which inspired the film Essex Boys staring Sean Bean.
The pair lost an appeal against their conviction in February 2006.