The teenage killer of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail has been granted leave to appeal against his life sentence.
Aaron Campbell, 17, was ordered to spend a minimum of 27 years behind bars for the rape and murder of the schoolgirl on the Isle of Bute last summer.
But a court spokesman confirmed Campbell has been granted leave to appeal against the length of his sentence, which was handed down by Lord Matthews at the High Court in Glasgow in March.
His case will be heard before three judges at the High Court in Edinburgh on August 7.
Campbell snatched Alesha from her bed as she slept at her grandparents' home in July last year.
He inflicted horrific injuries on the child before dumping her body in nearby woodland.
A jury found him guilty unanimously following a nine-day trial, and he later admitted the crime to those assessing him.
Judge Lord Matthews described Campbell as "calculating and remorseless" before ordering him to spend life behind bars, and warning he may never be released.
He said the boy had not shown "a flicker of remorse" and labelled the crime "bestial."
The court heard that the teenager had said he was "quite satisfied by the murder."
In a victim impact statement from Alesha's paternal grandparents Angela King and Calum MacPhail, they said the death of Alesha has left them “utterly devastated and heartbroken”.
“She was a beautiful, kind and thoughtful child who they miss every day”, said prosecutor Iain McSporran QC, reading the statement to the court.
"They are tortured and tormented by the circumstances of her murder. I think overwhelmed is an understatement.
"They do not see how they can live a normal life. Her future was taken and so was theirs."
