Convicted double murderer Hazel Stewart has been refused leave to appeal against the length of her sentence for killing her policeman husband and the wife of her ex-lover.
The Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the sentence imposed on Stewart, a former Sunday school teacher, was "neither wrong nor manifestly excessive".
Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan told the court that the 62-year-old's latest attempted appeal would have caused "stress and upset" to the families of those she killed.
She is serving a minimum 18 years behind bars for the killing of Constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and 31-year-old Lesley Howell, the wife of her former lover Colin Howell.
Both were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co Derry, in May 1991.
In a statement issued after the ruling, Ms Howell's family said that it is continuing to live with a life sentence as it deals with Stewart's "ongoing attempt to evade justice".
Police originally believed the victims had died in a suicide pact, after discovering that their partners were having an extra-marital affair.
Instead, they had been drugged and murdered and their bodies arranged to make it look as though they had taken their own lives.
Nearly two decades passed before dentist Howell, 65, confessed to both killings.
He implicated Stewart and she was ordered to serve at least 18 years, at her trial in 2011.
She launched her appeal against the length of her sentence on the basis of fresh psychiatric evidence that suggested she was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the murders and had been coercively controlled by Howell.
Stewart watched the court of appeal ruling via a videolink from Hydebank Prison.
Chief Justice Keegan said the fresh psychiatric evidence had been presented "well after the event" and "places reliance on prison records to contradict the case made by all other experts".
She said: "Even if there were any traction in the points now made, which we do not find, the trial judge also made allowance for Howell's control in the sentence he passed.
"No injustice arises in refusing to reopen this long-concluded appeal on these facts."
She added: "We record this was a double murder of spouses in the cruellest of circumstances.
"Our overall view is that the sentence was neither wrong nor manifestly excessive.
"We refuse leave to admit the new evidence or to extend time as we are not convinced the new evidence establishes a valid ground of appeal.
"We are similarly not convinced that a fulsome enough explanation why this evidence was not produced earlier has been provided.
"In reaching our conclusion we reiterate the need for finality in criminal proceedings, we must deduce from this appeal that the applicant does not fully appreciate that.
"What must be self-evident is the stress and upset this latest appeal attempt will have caused to the families of the deceased."
The Chief Justice said the original trial judge had been cited on the issue of Howell's control of Stewart and he altered her sentence accordingly.
She concluded: "We find no merit in any of the points raised on appeal."
'No joy' after failure of appeal bid
Lesley Howell's family there is "no joy" after the ruling and it is continuing to live with a life sentence as it deals with Stewart's "ongoing attempt to evade justice".
In a statement, It said: "We're relieved that this stage of the legal process has concluded, but there is no joy. No celebration.
"The Court of Appeal's decision today, upholding all previous rulings, confirms what we've known all along.
"We've always maintained our confidence in the original judgment and the overwhelming weight of expert opinion supporting our case.
"While this decision offers some reassurance, we recognise that there's no true end or closure.
"This is a life sentence, and we must continue to live with the pain caused by Hazel's ongoing attempt to evade justice.
"Nothing will bring our mum back. We have no appeals. No paroles. No release date.
"The cycle of appeal after appeal shows Hazel's complete lack of remorse and her refusal to take responsibility for her actions."
Our "beautiful mum's memory will not be shadowed by this, and we will continue to love and honour the person she was," the family added.
