Four men who tried unsuccessfully to bomb London three years ago were told today that their forty year prison sentences were “beyond doubt, utterly justified”.

Three Court of Appeal judges in London dismissed applications brought by Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman for leave to appeal.

The four men were jailed for life last July after being convicted at London’s Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder.

On July 21, 2005, they tried to detonate rucksack bombs packed with high explosives, hydrogen peroxide and chapati flour, on Tubes at Shepherd’s Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations and on a bus at Shoreditch High Street.

Each device failed to explode, sparing London a repeat of the 7/7 suicide attacks which killed more than 50 people just two weeks earlier.

At their trial the four had maintained that the events of July 21 were an elaborate hoax, designed to protest against and draw attention to Britain’s role in the occupation of Iraq.

That argument was undermined, however, by Osman, who allegedly admitted to two prison officers that the bombs were intended to be fully functional.

During last week’s appeal hearing, George Carter-Stephenson QC, for Ibrahim, argued that the trial judge “erred in law” by refusing to allow his client to dispute the confession or question the police officers.

The judges rejected that argument today and dismissed the applications, also brought by Mohammed and Osman against sentence.

Sir Igor Judge said the jury was given “appropriate and clear directions on all the issues arising in this trial”.

He said: “These were merciless and extreme crimes. As they were rightly meant to be, the sentences were severe and extreme.

“Beyond doubt, however, they were utterly justified.”

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