Murderers jailed for life after carrying out a brutal killing in Perth have had their bid to quash their convictions rejected.
Drew Paterson and Taylor Gordon attacked William Reid at a flat in Inchaffray Street before leaving him to die near football pitches in North Muirton in December 2012.
They were convicted in July last year, with a judge recommending that Gordon should serve a minimum of 17 years before becoming eligible for parole and that Paterson should be jailed for at least 18 years.
Gordon appealed both his conviction and sentencing in a hearing in Edinburgh, while Paterson sought to overturn his conviction.
Appeal judges considered that during the original trial the only issue arising was whether both were guilty of murder or the lesser offence of culpable homicide.
In a judgment handed down by Lady Paton it was decided that it was for the jury to assess the evidence and then decide what role Gordon had played.
It stated the trial judge, Lady Clark, had properly briefed the jurors on the laws relating to cooperation.
They also considered mitigating circumstances presented to the trial judge to decide whether the sentence was excessive and concluded it was not.
Lawyers acting for Drew Paterson contended that Lady Clark should have specifically told the jury that a lesser conviction was an option.
The appeal judges dismissed the argument, saying the judge told the panel members that if they were not convinced Paterson was guilty of murder they should return a verdict of culpable homicide.