A Las Vegas judge has rejected former US football star OJ Simpson's request for a new trial after he was convicted in October for robbing two sports memorabilia collectors.

Nevada judge Jackie Glass said Simpson and co-defendant Clarence Stewart had not made strong enough arguments to merit a new hearing.

Simpson (61), whose trial for the brutal 1994 murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman ended up in his acquittal, was found guilty on 4 October of 12 charges in the armed robbery and kidnapping of the two collectors in the Las Vegas Palace Station casino on 13 September 2007.

Simpson and Stewart both face life in prison, and their sentences in the case are scheduled to be handed down on 5 December.

Simpson's acquittal in the racially charged 1995 Los Angeles murder trial was greeted with widespread outrage across the United States.

The 1970s professional football hero has always vehemently denied murdering his former wife and her friend.

But he was found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families totaling $33.5-million. He has repeatedly said he will not pay the settlement.

AFP