Rigby Killer Adebolajo Appeal Bid Rejected

Michael Adebolajo, one of the two men convicted for the murder of soldier Lee Rigby last year, has lost the first stage of his attempt to appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Adebolajo was sentenced in February to a whole-life term - meaning he will spend the rest of his life behind bars - by trial judge Mr Justice Sweeney who said the married 29-year-old was the leader of the murderous plot and had "no real prospect of rehabilitation".

Despite the refusal, Adebolajo has renewed both applications and they will be heard before a panel of Court of Appeal judges at a hearing in London at a later date.

Michael Adebowale, 23, who was also convicted of the crime and given a minimum 45-year jail term, has been told he can appeal against his sentence.

The rulings come as it was revealed the two men were granted more than £200,000 in legal aid to pay their defence costs.

A Freedom of Information request from The Sun newspaper showed the pair had received £212,613.32 in total from the taxpayer.

Adebolajo received £138,803.96, while costs for Adebowale were £73,809.36.

Fusilier Rigby, 25, was killed by the British Muslim converts in Woolwich, southeast London, on May 22 last year.

He was knocked down by a car in which the two were travelling and then attacked with a meat cleaver and knives in a frenzied attack.

The attackers had been waiting near Woolwich Barracks and chose to kill Fusilier Rigby after assuming he was a soldier because he was wearing a Help for Heroes hooded top and carrying a camouflage rucksack.

The attack happened in broad daylight in front of horrified onlookers.

The men were subsequently shot by police in scenes captured by CCTV.

They claimed they were "soldiers of Allah" and had killed the soldier as an attack against "those militaries that attack the Muslims".