'Rockefeller' denied trial

A US judge turned down a new trial request by a German-born man who called himself Clark Rockefeller.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was convicted last year of kidnapping his seven-year-old daughter and assaulting a social worker supervising their visit in 2008.

The Suffolk, Massachusetts district attorney's office said it received notice yesterday of the February 25 decision by the Boston trial judge.

Gerhartsreiter's lawyers said a prosecutor made an improper closing argument urging jurors not to be manipulated by an insanity defence.

They also questioned the qualifications of a state psychiatric witness to discuss the insanity defence.

Defence attorney Jeffrey Denner said he'll appeal against the decision.