Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane lost his latest legal challenge to stop his trial over the kidnap of a supermarket boss 25 years ago.

In a brief hearing in Ireland's Supreme Court, five judges revealed their unnamious decision to throw out the appeal by Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane.

The former IRA prisoner was charged in January 1998 with falsely imprisoning supermarket boss Don Tidey at Derrada Wood, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, in November and December 1983.

He was also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and was facing trial in Dublin's non-jury Special Criminal Court .

McFarlane has mounted a 10-year legal battle aginst the charges, arguing that the delay in prosecution infringed his rights to a fair trial.

The judges disagreed and ruled that the delays were all of McFarlane's own making as he mounted the challenge against the charges.

They said the case was ready for trial the year after he was arrested, but that his legal appeals had caused the legal processes that delayed the matter.