A millionaire killer who strangled his wife and drove her body to France in the boot of his car is appealing against his conviction for murder.

Loudwater businessman Derek Symmons, 65, was convicted at St Albans Crown Court in December 2006 of strangling his wife Christine.

The court heard how he attacked her after returning home from a marriage guidance session on September 5, 2005.

He then put the body in the boot of his BMW and drove to France before confessing his crime to a stunned hotel receptionist.

Symmons, however, has always denied he is guilty of murder and claimed at his trial he was acting in self-defence after his wife attacked him.

He also claimed he was provoked by the former hairdresser when she insulted the memory of his dead mother and taunted him about his erectile dysfunction.

This week his barristers unveiled new expert evidence which they say would have provided a "very viable" defence of diminished responsibility if it had been available at the original trial.

The Court of Appeal was asked yesterday to consider whether the evidence should be admitted in the appeal and whether it would have affected the jury if it was available at the trial.

Barrister Edward Fitzgerald QC argued that, in the light of the new evidence, his murder conviction should be quashed.

But, after hearing contradictory evidence from the Crown, three judges opted to reserve judgment until a later date.

No date was set for the judgment to be given and Symmons remains behind bars.