A bus driver serving a life sentence for deliberately mowing down a footballer following a pub fight has failed in his bid to overturn his murder conviction.

Daniel Philip Andrew Press, 26 of Reigate Road, Epsom was jailed for at least 12 years in July 2009 after he was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court of murdering 21-year-old William Buckingham, from Morden.

Press challenged his conviction at London's Criminal Appeal Court last week arguing that his trial legal team didn't call "crucial" witnesses, who could have backed up his claims that he didn't intend to kill his victim.

But his appeal was thrown out by top judges, who said there was no basis for arguing the conviction was unsafe and Press was just attempting to get a retrial.

Mr Justice Holroyde, sitting with Lord Justice Moses and Judge Francis Gilbert QC, told the court Press hit Mr Buckingham with his car in September 2008 causing fatal head injuries after previously arguing with him in a pub.

Press and his partner, Kerry Bennett from Carshalton, were with friends at The Star pub in Ewell, when a row broke out between one of their party and another group. Press and Mr Buckingham began fighting, but were separated and stayed in the pub.

Later, when Press was driving away from the pub along the A24 London Road with Bennett in the passenger seat, she pointed out the group of people, including Mr Buckingham, who had been involved in the earlier incident.

Press's car mounted the pavement and hit the victim, hurling him 10 feet into the air and causing severe head injuries from which he died in hospital hours later.

Press then continued driving and later tried to cover up what he had done making enquiries about repairs to the damage to his car and convincing his girlfriend and sister, Alyssa Press, to lie to police for him.

Bennett, 25, and Alyssa Press, 30, of Chessington Road, Ewell, were jailed for 29 months and 18 months respectively after each admitted perverting the course of justice.

The prosecution case at trial was that Press deliberately drove onto the pavement and hit the victim, intending to cause him really serious harm.

Press denied murder, but indicated he was willing to admit manslaughter claiming what happened was a "dreadful accident" caused by him "mis-judging" where the kerb was.

He said he was driving as close to the pavement as possible with the intention of beeping his horn to make the pedestrians jump, when the car's nearside wheel mounted the kerb.

By returning a guilty verdict to murder, the jury rejected this account.

At the Appeal Court, his lawyers argued his conviction should be overturned because his legal team at trial didn't call evidence from Bennett or a traffic accident investigator, which they said would have supported his account.

His barrister, David Martin-Sperry, said they could have provided crucial testimony, which may have led the jury to reach a different verdict, and urged the Appeal Court judges to consider fresh evidence in the case.

Rejecting Press's appeal, Mr Justice Holroyde said there were no grounds for doubting the safety of the jury's guilty verdict.

He said: "The appellant was not affected by drink.

“He was a bus driver and therefore experienced at judging angles and distances.

"This application is nothing more than a wish to have an opportunity to conduct the trial again in a new way."