Latimer in fresh court bid

Neil Latimer has launched a fresh bid to overturn his murder conviction

A former Ulster Defence Regiment soldier has launched a fresh attempt to overturn a murder conviction.

It is the fourth time that Neil Latimer, from Armagh, has appealed against his conviction for the murder of a Catholic man, Adrian Carroll, in Armagh in 1983.

His lawyers lodged papers at the High Court in Belfast on Friday, the first stage in getting his case before the House of Lords in London.

Latimer said he was determined to "fight to the death" to prove his innocence.

"If it takes another 20 years or until the day I die, a court somewhere will clear my name. Every time they knock me back, I get more determined," he said.

Two weeks ago, Latimer, 41, lost his third appeal when the High Court in Belfast upheld the 20-year-old murder conviction.

Adrian Carroll was murdered in Armagh in 1983

Latimer and three other UDR soldiers became known as the 'UDR Four' after they were convicted of Mr Carroll's murder.

Latimer's case was referred back to the Appeal Court for a record third time following a Criminal Cases Review Commission inquiry. The other soldiers were subsequently freed on appeal.

However, Latimer, who has maintained his innocence, served 14 years in jail before finally being released under licence in 1998.

When his third appeal was turned down on 9 February, three judges unanimously rejected suggestions that he only confessed because he had a compliant personality and detectives had broken his will.

Latimer shouted at them: "What do you think I went through all this for? There is no justice."