A TEENAGE killer, caged for throttling his lover to death, has won the right to challenge his murder conviction.

Callum Paul Wilcocks, now aged 22, was jailed for life at Chester Crown Court in December 2011 after a jury convicted him of murdering 17-year-old Kelsey Shaw.

He was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years before he could even apply for parole.

However, three Appeal Court judges today ruled that he had 'arguable' grounds for challenging the guilty verdict.

Wilcocks, then aged 19, of Hale Drive, Liverpool, said he 'filled up with anger and lost control' after Miss Shaw repeatedly taunted him, said Mr Justice Goss.

The teenage couple, who had been going out for five years and had spent the evening at a friend's flat in Widnes, had a 'volatile and stormy relationship', he added.

Wilcocks claimed they repeatedly rowed on the night of her death, and that she goaded him by claiming that he was not the father of their child.

The enraged killer said he lost control - 'putting his arm around her throat until she was unconscious'.

When his victim toppled to the ground he strangled her, said the judge.

Wilcocks' case reached the Appeal Court as he challenged the 'safety' of his murder conviction.

And Mr Justice Goss, sitting with Judge Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Green, ruled it arguable that the trial judge misdirected the jury on the issue of whether Wilcocks 'lost control' due to his victim's alleged taunts.

Wilcocks is also challenging the length of his minimum sentence.

No date was given for the full hearing of his appeal.