A former deputy headteacher who battered his foster daughter to death with an 18in metal tent pole is launching a fresh appeal to clear his name.

Father-of-four Sion Jenkins is serving life for murdering 13-year-old Billie Jo at the family home in Hastings in 1997.

His fate was sealed by blood splatters found on his clothes.

But yesterday the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates suspected miscarriages of justice, confirmed that the Court of Appeal would review the case on the basis of fresh evidence.

A previous attempt to lodge an appeal in December 1999 was quashed.

Jenkins, who used to teach at all-boys William Parker School in Parkstone Road, Hastings, was convicted of murder at Lewes Crown Court in 1998.

But he has always maintained his innocence.

His campaign has attracted many supporters, some of whom set up a web site outlining the case for his release.

He also appears on innocent.org, a web site listing so-called miscarriages of justice.

Jenkins, a failed Tory councillor and a practising Christian for the past 20 years, was refused access to a theology learning course in Wakefield prison because he continues to plead his innocence.

Neil O'May, a solicitor at Bindman and Partners, has represented Jenkins since 2001.

He said the appeal related to why Jenkins' other two daughters had not been called throughout the trial.

Jenkins was said to have killed Billie Jo and then taken the pair shopping on a pointless DIY trip to distance himself from the crime.

Mr O'May said: "We are delighted that the long fight for justice for Sion Jenkins is now in its final stages.

"The CCRC has thoroughly investigated the case and believes that there is a real possibility that Sion Jenkins' conviction will be quashed by the Court of Appeal.

"We have investigated the circumstances of the conviction ourselves very thoroughly and, like the CCRC, we are confident that the Court of Appeal will mark this case as a miscarriage of justice.

"Sion Jenkins is elated with the news. After spending such a long time incarcerated in prison, the end is now in sight.

"He is aware that he will have to spend further time in custody until the Court of Appeal hear his case.

"He is grateful for all the support he has received in the past and knows that he can count on this over the next difficult stage."

Lois Jenkins, Billie Jo's foster mother, now divorced from Sion Jenkins, was in the headlines earlier this year.

She claimed her foster daughter had been forgotten amid the controversy surrounding the case.