Wife-killer Malcolm Webster is to have his conviction and sentence reviewed.
The former north-east nurse applied to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) earlier this year, asking them to look into his case.
Webster killed his first wife Claire Morris in a deliberate car crash in Aberdeenshire in 1994, and then tried to do the same to his second wife in New Zealand five years later. The crimes were part of an elaborate plot to cash in on nearly £1million life insurance.
The 55-year-old has always maintained his innocence, and took his case to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh earlier this year.
But judges upheld his conviction, prompting Webster to abandon his fight to have his 30-year jail term cut in case it looked like he was trying to “mitigate his guilt”.
In September, he submitted an application to the SCCRC to review both his conviction and sentence, which has now been accepted.
A spokesman said: “We have accepted this application.
“Our review is ongoing and we anticipate it will take around eight months for a full report to be compiled.”
Once completed, the report will be presented to a board who will discuss the case in full before deciding whether it should be referred to the High Court.
The case would only be referred to the court if the commission feels there has been a miscarriage of justice and if it is in the interests of justice.
Ms Morris’ brother, Peter, said he hoped the case would not make it back to court as it would cause further distress to his family.
He added: “I don’t particularly like that he is able to have his case reviewed but it’s his right.
“He seems to have some kind of false delusion that one day he’ll be able to stand on the court steps and say it’s all been a miscarriage of justice. All the evidence says he’s guilty.”