The taxi driver convicted of murdering shopkeeper Asad Shah in Glasgow has been given permission to appeal his "excessive" 27-year-sentence by a panel of judges.

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, claims judge Lady Rae failed to follow proper legal guidelines when she decided his jail term for murdering Mr Shah in Shawlands, Glasgow, in March.

Ahmed, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow in July to stabbing Mr Shah a total of 30 times outside his shop.

The court heard how the crime was religiously motivated.

Ahmed, a Sunni Muslim, drove to Scotland from his English home because he believed Mr Shah, a member of the Ahmadi movement, had insulted Islam.

In return for guilty pleas, Scottish judges have the discretion to reduce sentences by as much as 30%.

When Ahmed was convicted, judge Lady Rae said if he had not admitted the crime she would have sentenced him to 30 years in jail.

Ahmed's legal team believe the sentence was excessive and he should have been given a larger discount.

An appeal judge rejected the appeal ground earlier this year but after a short hearing on Thursday, judges Lady Dorrian, Lady Clark of Calton and Lord Menzies allowed the appeal ground to be reinstated.

It will now be a second point in Ahmed's appeal against sentence.

The first appeal point is that Lady Rae's belief the crime would have merited a 30-year jail term is incorrect and excessive.

Lady Dorrian said: "We are content for the two points to proceed together."

The date of Ahmed's appeal is yet to be fixed. He was represented by Brian McConnachie QC and was not present in court.