TWO men convicted of a murder in the Costa Blanca region of Spain have failed with appeals against their jail terms.

Adrian Marshall, 52, originally from Darlington, and 62-year-old Lindsay George Frampton-Slade had appealed the 16 year jail sentences they each received in February last year for the murder of Colyn Nobes.

The Spanish Supreme Court, based in Madrid, rejected both men's appeals.

It also awarded compensation to Mr Nobe's family.

The court ratified a 21-month jail sentence on Marshall's partner Bridget Stokes, who was convicted of being an accomplice in the murder.

Ms Stokes has since returned to the UK and now lives in Darlington.

She has criticised the Spanish authorities for their handling of the case and said the men did not receive a fair trial.

The body of Mr Nobes, who fled to Spain after escaping from Winchester Prison, was found beneath a motorway bridge in July 2006.

He had been beaten and his skull was fractured into 19 pieces following a fight at a house in Javea, near Benidorm.

Marshall, who hopes to be transferred to a jail in the UK at some stage, had denied Mr Nobes murder and said he acted in self-defence after being attacked with a knife.