Appeal for Muamba-tweet student

A handcuffed Liam Stacey, 21, was taken away in tears on Tuesday after being jailed for 56 days for admitting inciting racial hatred.

A High Court judge in Swansea, south Wales, will today hear an appeal against his sentence which, if successful, could win his immediate release.

The Swansea University biology undergraduate triggered revulsion when he posted: “LOL (laugh out loud). F*** Muamba. He’s dead!!!”

His reviled tweet came quickly after the Bolton midfielder’s collapse during an FA Cup tie from a heart attack.

While Muamba’s plight touched hearts around the world, a drunken Stacey went online to mock. Support for Stacey’s jail sentence was widespread on the day it was handed down, and widely debated on Twitter.

But a significant minority criticised his punishment and claimed it was politically motivated to make an example of him.

His legal team will today launch an appeal against his sentence at Swansea Crown Court.