The killer of a former regional press journalist stabbed to death at a bus stop seven years ago in an unprovoked attack has been denied parole.

Timothy Smith, 40, was murdered in Nottingham by Rickell Patterson after accidentally stepping into his path in May 2007.

Patterson, then 16-years-old, was cycling through the bus queue on his BMX bike when he killed the former Rutland Times reporter with a single stab from a seven-inch kitchen knife.

He was convicted of murder and initially sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison in November 2007, which was later reduced to 12 years on appeal despite protestations from Timothy’s family.

But on Monday a High Court judge threw out a further bid by 24-year-old Patterson for early release, despite commending him on the “progress” he had made while in prison.

Mr Justice Wilkie said:  “There is no doubt that Rickell Patterson has made very real progress and the fact that it is consistent with the way he conducted himself whilst remanded in custody pending sentence does not in any was lessen the impressive nature of that progress.

“I note, however, that each of the authors of the tariff assessment reports and the author of the legal submissions accept that there remains work to be done which is focused on his offending behaviour.

“Until that position has been reached, in my judgment, it cannot yet be said that his progress is of such an exceptional nature that it would warrant a reduction in his tariff.”

Timothy lived in Oakham, as well as Langham in Leicestershire, during his time with The Rutland Times, where he was a court reporter and council reporter between 1999 and 2002.

He also worked in Corby, Kettering and Northampton, before becoming a freelance journalist later in his career.

Originally from Darlington, had lived in Nottingham for two years at the time of his death.