BATH, Ont. - Convicted rapist and killer Paul Bernardo has been denied early release.

A National Parole Board panel at the Millhaven Institution in eastern Ontario made the decision today.

Bernardo has spent more than 25 years of his life sentence behind bars for kidnapping, torturing and killing two teen girls in the early 1990s.

The 54-year-old told the hearing he did dreadful things in the past that he cries over frequently, and argued he has improved himself.

The panel disagreed with the designated dangerous offender, who has been eligible for parole since February.

Bernardo has spent most of his incarceration in maximum-security isolation.