Body in the boot killer Derek Symmons who strangled his wife in a fit of rage lied to a doctor in a bid to be freed from jail, the Court of Appeal ruled today.

Three judges unanimously dismissed an appeal against his conviction for murder and his 16 year prison sentence.

Fresh evidence from eminent psychiatrist Professor Nigel Eastman suggested that Symmons could have been suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of the killing in September 2005.

The judges, however, dismissed this argument.

They said: “In our judgment it is quite clear that the account which the appellant gave to Professor Eastman, and on which such reliance was placed, was untrue.”

The 65-year-old millionaire, who infamously drove to France with his wife’s body in the boot of his BMW, also argued that he was provoked and had acted in self defence.

The 59-year-old hairdresser, he claimed, had taunted him at their Loudwater home about his sexual impotence, insulted the memory of his dead mother and wrapped her hands around his throat.

These arguments were also dismissed.

Symmons was jailed for life at St. Albans Crown Court in December 2006. His actions after the killing were described by the judge as “calculated, cold hearted and callous.”