A man who murdered a card player at a Bristol gambling club has had his bid to to be moved from a top-security prison thrown out by a judge.

Raymond Falconer, aged 46, shot Vincent Bean in the head at point-blank range after losing a hand of cards in a club known as The Gambling House in Stapleton Road in 1998.

He first "pistol-whipped" Mr Bean as he tried to rob him of £100. Falconer, who was living in Lena Street, Easton, at the time, has accused the Home Office of not giving him a fair chance to prove he is a reformed character, more than 10 years after he was jailed for life at Bristol Crown Court.

London's High Court heard yesterday that Falconer now says he is a changed man and his legal team pointed to a string of prison reports of his "consistent and useful progress" behind bars. He has taken numerous courses and has been an exemplary prisoner, the court was told.

But the court heard Falconer still denies his guilt and Mr Justice Pitchford said he had been refused a security down-grade because of his "failure to address his offending behaviour".

Rejecting Falconer's plea that he was unfairly treated – and dismissing his judicial review challenge – the judge said Falconer had refused to submit to assessment by the prison service's Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Unit, although his progress in custody had been "praised" by the Category A Review Team in 2007 and 2008.

Falconer's first full parole hearing will not be until 2018,