One of Lee Rigby’s killers has been granted permission to appeal his life sentence because of mental health problems.
Michael Adebowale, along with Michael Adebolajo, butchered 25-year-old Lee Rigby in broad daylight close to Woolwich Barracks last May.
But Adebowale, 22, who was given a minimum sentence of 45 years in February, was yesterday granted the chance to challenge his punishment after he was transferred to Broadmoor Hospital.
Lee Rigby’s mother Lyn, whose Twitter biography reads ‘remembering you is easy, I do it every day, but missing you is heartache that never goes away’, described the decision as a ‘joke’.
She told The Sun the protracted legal case meant the ‘heartache never stops’ for her and makes it impossible to grieve.
Islamic extremists Adebowale and Adebolajo, 29, ran over Fusilier Lee Rigby in a car before attacking him with knives and a meat cleaver on May 22 last year in South East London.
Adebolajo, who ranted at a camera with blood-soaked hands after the attack was handed a whole life tariff with no prospect of parole.
Adebowale had been serving his sentence at Belmarsh high security prison in South East London, but was moved to a mental health unit at Broadmoor two weeks ago after reportedly ‘hearing voices’ and suffering ‘psychotic episodes’.
A full appeal hearing in front of three judges will take place at a later date, a judiciary spokesman said, but no date has been confirmed.
