A lawyer who made up rape and kidnap allegations in an ‘evil’ campaign of harassment against her former lover has been given permission to appeal her life sentence.

Anisah Ahmed, 34, was given the life term and ordered to serve at least four and a half years’ imprisonment for what an Oxford judge branded ‘malicious, even evil’ actions.

On Friday, a panel of three Court of Appeal justices gave her leave – or permission – to appeal that life sentence to a full hearing. She’d earlier been refused permission when her case came before a single judge at the appeal court.

That full hearing, when three judges will consider whether Judge Michael Gledhill QC’s sentence was ‘manifestly excessive’, is expected to take place on Thursday.

In April, Oxford Crown Court heard how Ahmed had become obsessed with victim Iqbal Mohammed after the breakdown of an affair.

She set up email accounts in victim Iqbal Mohammed’s name and bombarded herself with messages in a – successful - bid to get him arrested. When her actions were unmasked she went on to falsely accuse him of rape and also claimed he’d tried to kidnap her.

At Ahmed’s sentencing hearing in the spring, Judge Gledhill said: “The lengths you went to, to exact revenge on Mr Mohammed were almost beyond belief.”

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