GILLINGHAM'S £5 million rated footballer Marlon King has had his appeal against his 18-month jail sentence turned down by the High Court.

King, 22, who was sentenced in May after being caught at the wheel of a stolen £32,000 BMW convertible, also had his appeal against his conviction rejected. He is serving his sentence at Stamford Hill Prison on Sheppey.

Club manager Andy Hessenthaler, speaking on the Gills official website, said: "We are very disappointed - and that's an understatement. I saw Marlon at Stamford Hill prison on Tuesday and he was in high spirits because his appeal was coming up. He will obviously be gutted by this.

"He has kept his nose clean and was really looking forward to having his sentence reduced so he could gear himself up for doing what he does best - performing on the pitch. Now he must be feeling really low."