ROCK star Bryan ferry's son, Otis, who is awaiting trial on witness nobbling and robbery charges, has failed today in a bid to get bail for Christmas.

After hearing a two-hour bail application behind closed doors at Gloucester Crown Court Judge Mark Horton refused to free the 26-year-old foxhunt enthusiast, whose trial is due in March.

But Otis Ferry was told by the judge that he can make a further application on January 15th and he could well be granted bail then if his trial has to be delayed beyond the current March date.

Today's application was the fourth time Ferry, of Keepers Cottage, Eaton Mascott, Shropshire, had asked for bail since his arrest on the witness nobbling charges in September - and he fourth time he has been refused.

He was entitled to make today's application not because of any change in his circumstances or the prosecution case but because he has appointed a new legal team, led by QC Timothy Raggatt.

Ferry's mother, the former model Lucy Helmore, gave evidence briefly during today's hearing while other friends and relatives waited in the corridor outside court.

Mr Raggatt QC, who was assisted by a junior barrister and a solicitor, spent an hour and a quarter outlining the reasons why he argued Ferry should be allowed bail.

Kerry Barker, prosecuting, spoke for half an hour in opposing the application.

But Judge Horton upheld the previous two decisions made by resident Gloucester crown court judge Martin Picton not to allow Ferry bail. The initial decision to remand Ferry in custody had been made by Cheltenham Magistrates when he was first charged with two offences of interfering with a witness.

After today's application prosecutor Mr Barker explained that the reason Ferry had been allowed to seek bail again was because of a change of legal team.

He said Ferry had been told that if the current trial date of March 9 has to be delayed until later in the year he can make another bid for bail on Jan 15.

Ferry, who is joint master of the South Shropshire Hunt, has pleaded not guilty to doing acts intended to pervert the course of justice by telling his former groomsman David Hodgkiss not to give evidence against him on charges of robbery and assault.

Ferry also denies assaulting a Hunt monitor of a camera and assaulting her during a meeting of the Heythrop Hunt near Stow-on-the-Wold in November 2007.

Last month it was revealed that three other people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the alleged witness nobbling. One of those arrested was Ferry's girlfriend Francesa Nimmo, 22, of Northamptonshire, and another was Adrian Simpson, 53-year-old Welsh regional director of the Countryside Alliance.

They are on police bail pending further enquiries.

Ferry's robbery and assault trial had been due to get under way in September at the Cirencester Courthouse in Gloucestershire but after three days of legal arguments it was abandoned and the jury was discharged.

Ferry was then arrested and new allegations of perverting the course of justice were made against him.

The original charges against Ferry are that while he was hunting with the Heythrop Hunt at Lower Swell on Nov 21st 2007 he robbed Helen Ghalmi, a hunt monitor, of a video camera - which she was using to film his activities - and a set of keys. He is also said to have assaulted her.

Mr Barker said today that the scheduled trial in March coould be delayed if any of the other people arrested are charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Ms Helmore and the rest of Ferry's supporters at today's hearing declined to comment as they left court.