A MAN convicted of killing his partner has had a bid to clear his name accepted by judges at the Court of Appeal.

John Bickford was branded a liar and a bully after a jury found him guilty in February of the manslaughter of Carol Chambers.

Bickford appealed against what his lawyers called an excessive eight-year sentence, and was granted leave to challenge it.

Now, a bid to have the conviction overturned has also been allowed by three judges at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

The Northern Echo understands that new evidence is said to show Ms Chambers was assaulted by others before her death.

The prosecution alleged that the mother-of-three fell ill on July 26 last year after being attacked by Bickford at their home.

Bickford, 60, claimed his 48- year-old partner went into a coma after falling and banging her head in a drunken stupor.

Ms Chambers was taken from the house in West Auckland, County Durham, and died two days later.

Bickford, of Simpson Road, West Auckland, denied man slaughter, but was convicted after a two-week trial in February.

The jury heard that Ms Chambers suffered a number of injuries during her relationship with fellow heavydrinker Bickford.

Judge Peter Fox concluded that her death was “the culmination of several years of continual and severe domestic abuse”.

Bickford was said to have hit Ms Chambers after growing jealous about her relationship with a man she met while on holiday in Australia.

Neil Davey, defending, said Bickford had never been in trouble before his relationship with Ms Chambers.

But the court heard that Bickford had repeatedly attacked Ms Chambers.

He told police after his arrest that he did not consider a “back-hander”, or slapping someone’s face was domestic violence.

During the trial, he also denied a string of alleged assaults said to have been witnessed by friends and family of Ms Chambers.

Last night, the Attorney General’s office confirmed leave for appeal had been granted, but no date has yet been fixed for the hearing.