Violent murderer Andrew Smithers denied time to appeal for reduced sentence for 2005 murders of Earl Watson and Natalie Adams Andrew Smithers - accused of double murder of Earl Watson and his female boarder Natalie Adams at Eudlo - arrives at the watch house on 17 Mar 2005. Picture: Channel Seven Source: Supplied THE man responsible for one of Queensland's most violent and abhorrent double killings has been denied an extension of time to appeal for a reduced sentence. Andrew Frederick Smithers, now 33, was sentenced to 25-years jail in the Brisbane Supreme Court in 2006 after pleading guilty to the gruesome and barbaric murders of Earl Watson, 51, and Natalie Adams, 48. That same day he was sentenced for the grievous bodily harm of a 31-year-old woman he caused serious brain damage to during a "senseless attack" in May, 2004. The judge used his discretion not to allow Smithers to be eligible for parole until after he served the full, 25-year term. Smithers and his victims were living separately on Watson's property off Perrins Rd at Eudlo, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, at the time of the killings on March 15, 2005. Watson lived in the main house and Adams in a nearby cabin. Smithers and his de-facto wife lived in a tent on the same property. Smithers was stoned and drunk after a day-long alcohol and marijuana binge when he stabbed Adams multiple times in the chest and neck, gave her a broken nose and penetrated her heart and lungs. Watson, whose face was bashed so severely it could only be identified from dental records, was tied up, beaten, stabbed some 60 times and burnt with a hot fire poker around the face over several hours before he was finally strangled to death. Police at the scene of double murder of Earl Watson and his female boarder Natalie Adams at Eudlo. Picture: Graeme Parkes His eyes had been gouged out during the attack. Smithers phoned his father the next morning and confessed to the killing, leading police to the bloodbath. The convicted killer applied to the Court of Appeal asking that he be granted leave to appeal the sentence - some seven years after the event - on February 1 this year. He hoped to be eligible for parole release after serving 20 years of the sentence, not 25 years. It is usual practice in Queensland for applications to appeal a sentence to be filed with 30 days of it being handed down. In order to appeal, Smithers would require a grant of an extension of time from the Court of Appeal. He argued in favour of the application based on his "chronic psychologically unstable state" in which he had been "heavily medicated and attempted suicide" and because he was only recently made aware he could apply for an extension of time. Murder victim Earl Watson. In his written findings, Justice Robert Gotterson said neither of the claims made by Smithers had been "sworn." He said that while neither offered a convincing explanation for the delay, the Court of Appeal would also need to consider the "viability of the appeal" as a determinative factor on whether or not an extension of time should be granted. Justice Gotterson said Smithers' proposed ground of appeal was that his sentence was "manifestly excessive" because parole eligibility was fixed beyond 20 years. He also claimed "insufficient regard" was paid to his guilty plea. Justice Gotterson said Smithers cited two comparative cases in his appeal, but considered them incomparable. "The circumstances here of multiple acts of sustained and brutal violence on separate occasions, each resulting in the death of the victim warranted the imposition of a release eligibility period in excess of the statutory 20 years," he wrote. The early guilty plea made in the face of an overwhelming case didn't counter-balance that. But for the plea of guilty, a higher sentence could properly have been imposed. Murder victim Natalie Adams. He considered the grounds of appeal would have "negligible prospects of success." The decision to refuse the application for an extension of time was unanimously agreed to by Justice Catherine Holmes and Justice Margaret White.