WELLSVILLE, Ohio - Just days after a Columbiana County judge denied a man's request to have his rape conviction vacated, the man's attorney is fighting back.

Attorney Rhys Cartwright-Jones filed an appeal on behalf of 72-year-old Spencer Kidder on Friday, March 13 in response to Judge Megan Bickerton's decision to deny Kidder's request to have his conviction vacated.

Kidder was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole in 2023 on four counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery and one count of gross sexual imposition.

Kidder appealed his conviction, making several claims, including that his lawyer did not do enough to protect his rights, his lawyer gave him bad advice on appealing the case and that the prosecution did not provide proper reports or background information to some experts.

However, Judge Bickerton found all those claims to be without merit and denied Kidder's motion.

As of now, no ruling has been made on Kidder's appeal. In the meantime, he will continue serving his life sentence at the Noble Correctional Institution.

RELATED COVERAGE: