Former army officer who killed estate agent fails to overturn his conviction

A FORMER army officer who killed an estate agent after subjecting her and her colleague to nearly nine hours of brutal attacks has failed in a bid to challenge his conviction.

Jeremy Green admitted murdering Nicole Waterhouse, 32, and attempting to murder Karen Browne, then 24, at their flat in York in October 2013.

The 32-year-old, of Popes Head Court, Peter Lane, York, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years at Leeds Crown Court in April 2014.

At a Court of Appeal hearing yesterday, Green’s lawyers argued his conviction was “unsafe” in light of fresh evidence that he was suffering from an “abnormality of mind” when he attacked the women.

Michael Mansfield QC, representing Green, told the court the ex-soldier had suffered brain damage after having a seizure as a result of heatstroke during an army training exercise in Scotland in July 2010.

Mr Mansfield said an expert neuro-psychologist concluded in a recent report that Green’s abnormality of mind “had caused or was a significant contributing factor” in his offending and that he should therefore have been able to rely on a partial defence of diminished responsibility at trial.

But Green’s appeal bid was rejected by senior judges, who said his lawyers at the time of his trial decided against running such a defence in light of the fact he had acted “calmly and rationally” throughout the attacks.

Lord Justice Haddon-cave, sitting with two other judges, said the details of Green’s crimes were “in some ways too terrible” to repeat.