A HUSBAND who murdered his wife in a cottage fire to pocket £250,000 life insurance has failed in his latest bid to prove he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Jong Rhee, 42, was jailed for life at Chester Crown Court in April 1998 after he was convicted of murdering his wife Natalie, 25, who died from inhaling fumes at the holiday cottage in Snowdonia on April 15, 1997.

Rhee, of Crystal Palace, set fire to the cottage to kill his wife in order to claim £250,000 insurance and cover gambling debts. The trial judge said, in passing sentence, that Rhee's wife, of Field Gardens, Steventon, was the victim of a "calculated, cold-blooded murder for gain". At trial, the prosecution claimed Rhee murdered his wife by setting fire to the accommodation in which they were staying.

His lawyers insisted the forensic evidence on the fire's origins was inconclusive and disputed claims that Rhee had set two fires in order to ensure Natalie's death.

Rhee's case reached London's High Court last week as he challenged a refusal of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to refer his case back for a fresh Appeal Court hearing.

His barrister, Hugh Southey, claimed there was compelling new forensic evidence which cast doubt on the safety of his conviction. But Lord Justice Richards said the CCRC had rigorously analysed the fresh evidence.