THE Sharkey family killers have lost their appeals against their murder convictions.

Scott Snowden, 39, and Robert Jennings, 51, received sentences that were among the longest ever passed in Scotland after they were found guilty of three murders.

Thomas Sharkey Snr, 55, his son Thomas Jnr, 21, a former Our Lady and St Patrick’s High pupil, and daughter Bridget, aged eight.

The pair were jailed for life and Balloch man Snowden was ordered to serve at least 33 years before he is eligible to seek release on parole and Jennings had a minimum term of 29 years imposed.

But the pair challenged their convictions for the murders that left three members of the Sharkey family dead after the fire at their family home in Scott Court, Helensburgh, in July 2011.

Mr Sharkey senior died in hospital days after the blaze which was set in the early hours of the morning. His son died at the scene and his daughter later in hospital.

The pair were also convicted of attempting to murder Mr Sharkey’s wife, Angela, 48, who survived the fire.

Both raised challenges against their convictions and maintained that the trial judge did not give fair balance to defence and Crown when he came to address the jury at the end of the trial.

But judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh have now unanimously rejected the challenges claiming there had been a miscarriage of justice.

The Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Carloway, said: “The whole tenor of this charge (address to the jurors by the trial judge) was one of balance.” The senior judge said: “The court is quite unable to sustain a submission of a lack of balance.

“No doubt the trial judge did not mention every point made by the defence in the speeches made on behalf of the appellants.

It would not have been appropriate to do so, partly because such an exercise in itself may have been open to criticism as tarnishing the power of the speeches within the dramatic context of the trial as it developed."

The appeal judges rejected further grounds advanced by Jennings and commented that on one of them, over expert evidence of identification, that it was surprising that leave to appeal was granted.