A taxi driver who murdered popular Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah has lost his bid to cut his sentence.

Tanveer Ahmed was told by appeal judges that the 27-year sentence imposed on him earlier this year was legally sound.

The decision was made at a hearing of the Court of Criminal Appeal before judges Lord Carloway, Lord Malcolm and Lord Bracadale.

The 32-year-old from Bradford, West Yorkshire, drove 200 miles from his home to attack Mr Shah at his newsagents in Minard Road, Shawlands, in March.

He launched a frenzied knife attack on the shopkeeper which spilled out into the street.

Ahmed claimed he murdered the 40-year-old because he claimed to be a prophet in online postings.

Since he was jailed, recordings of phone calls Ahmed made to sympathisers from Barlinnie jail have been released online.

These include boasts he carried out the attack to "safeguard the Prophet".

On Tuesday, Ahmed's advocate Gordon Jackson QC argued Lady Rae acted wrongly when she imposed the sentence.

Mr Jackson said the exact circumstances of the murder meant his client should have received a lesser sentence.

He pointed to two other cases which Lady Rae presided over - the prosecutions of Alexander Pacteau, who killed Irish student Karen Buckley and John Leathem, the deli owner who murdered Clydebank teenager Paige Doherty.

Mr Jackson argued Ahmed waited for the police to come to arrest him by sitting at a bus stop close to the murder scene. He also said his client has always admitted his guilt.

The advocate said both Pacteau and Leathem had tried to escape detection for their crimes.

Mr Jackson compared the minimum term sentences given to the two men who received life for their murders - Pacteau was given 23 years and Leathem 27 years. He said his client should receive a lesser sentence.

Lord Carloway rejected Mr Jackson's arguments. He ruled the religious feeling which motivated Ahmed to kill Mr Shah meant Lady Rae was entitled to impose the sentence.

He added: "The court is not satisfied that the starting point in this case was too much.

"The court is not of the opinion that the sentence imposed in this case was excessive and in way amounted to a miscarriage of justice. The appeal against sentence is therefore refused."