Kim Galbraith alleged that she was abused

Her new lawyer, Margaret Scott, said that the row surrounding Donald Findlay QC had broken out at a crucial stage of a trial in which Galbraith's credibility was the primary issue.

Mr Findlay, who was then the vice-chairman of Glasgow Rangers, was recorded on videotape singing at a private party.

He later resigned from the football club and was fined �3,500 by his professional body, the Faculty of Advocates.

Ms Scott said adverse newspaper and television reports were enough to produce an "apprehension of bias" on the part of jurors in Glasgow.

"There has been a miscarriage of justice in the unusual circumstances of the adverse publicity surrounding the defence counsel at the trial," she told appeal judges on Monday.

Donald Findlay was recorded on video

Galbraith, 32, admitted shooting husband Ian, 37, with a hunting rifle at their home in January 1999 - but claimed she had been driven to it by years of physical and sexual abuse.

She originally claimed that her husband had been killed by intruders, but later confessed to the shooting.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow threw out a plea by Mr Findlay to convict her of a lesser charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Galbraith is also claiming that the evidence led at her trial about diminished responsibility should have led any reasonable jury to reject a murder verdict, and that trial judge Lord Osborne misdirected the jury on the question.

Friends and medical experts gave evidence at the 1999 trial backing Galbraith's claim of abuse at the hands of her husband.

A week has been set aside for the issues to be argued at the appeal court. There is likely to be a written ruling at a later date.