As the 50-year-old was sentenced this morning to a minimum term of 21 years behind bars for strangling Elaine in a lane off Ardgowan Street 28 years ago, his defence team claimed there had been a 'miscarriage of justice'.
They told a packed High Court in Glasgow that they will immediately launch a bid to clear his name.
Docherty was found guilty of Elaine's murder in June following a 49-day trial.
A crucial DNA breakthrough finally snared the former soldier after he had evaded justice for over a quarter of a century.
But his arrest and subsequent conviction sadly came too late for Elaine's dad Jack, who had fought tirelessly to get justice for his daughter over the years.
Mr Doyle passed away in 2012 through illness.
His wife, Maureen, was in court today to hear the sentence handed down to Docherty.
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