A husband who murdered his wife after she taunted him about his lack of sexual prowess has had his case sent back to the Court of Appeal in a rare legal move.

Phillip Rowland plunged a kitchen knife into his wife's neck after she mocked him.

The Tyneside bar manager claims her taunts over a rare medical condition pushed him into the action.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission has referred the case to the Court of Appeal in a move which could see his life sentence overturned.

The commission, which is part of the Home Office, can act on cases when important new evidence is presented.

Rowland was convicted of murder on February 14, 1997, and his application for leave to appeal was refused in June of that year.

He had denied murder, pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of provocation, but the jury found him guilty on the more serious charge.

Rowland's lawyers refused to give up on the case and new psychiatric evidence has been produced. It suggests he was provoked to the point where he was not responsible for his actions by his wife's continual taunts about his condition.

Rowland has served five years of his life sentence at Ashwell Prison, Rutland, in the Midlands, where he was said to be delighted by the news yesterday.

The case is expected to be heard by the Court of Appeal in the next six months.