A man serving a 24-year jail term for the murder of Melbourne sex worker Johanna 'Jazzy O' Martin has been denied leave to appeal against his conviction.
Steve Constantinou, 50, was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison last year for murdering the 65-year-old, robbing her of her jewellery and dumping her body in bushes.
He had claimed during a Supreme Court trial that Ms Martin had died during an erotic asphyxiation fantasy gone wrong.
Sentencing judge Justice Phillip Priest said Constantinou's story was ridiculous.
"It was a somewhat opportunistic attempt, in my opinion, to capitalise on the fact that Ms Martin was a sex worker," he said.
The Victorian Court of Appeal on Monday refused Constantinou's application for leave to appeal against his conviction.
Justice David Ashley disagreed with submissions that there were serious errors by Justice Priest and Constantinou's counsel during the trial.
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