Published: Wednesday, 17th June, 2009 1:06pm

Bail rejected for Irvine killer

COURT APPEARANCE: Affleck's case has been referred back to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.

A MAN serving a life sentence for a fatal house fire in Irvine has been refused bail pending a new appeal.

Andrew Affleck. 31, is currently serving a minimum of 23 years for the blaze which claimed the lives of Amanda Cooper, 20, Anna Teraysa Murray, 18 and Carrie Marie Murray, 12, in 2001.

Affleck, from Irvine, was refused bail prior to his appeal being heard on the grounds that the offences committed were "very grave".

His case has been referred back to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which was set up to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.

The commission say the Crown did not disclose to Affleck's defence at his 2003 trial that a key witness, who said he saw him running from the scene of the crime, had been charged with drugs offences.

Affleck was sentenced to life after being found guilty of murdering the trio in the Sanderson Avenue property.

At an earlier appeal his sentence was reduced from at least 27 years to 23 years.

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