A student jailed for mocking footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after a near fatal heart attack could be released as early as tomorrow.
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 tomorrow 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 soccer star's collapse and at a time when his plight was attracting a wave of sympathy around the world.
Soccer fans watched in horror when the Bolton midfielder collapsed during an FA Cup tie from a heart attack on 17 March.
Revulsion of his actions was immediate but a series of highly critical replies only pushed Stacey into an online racist torrent.
On Tuesday he was led away sobbing from Swansea Magistrates' Court after breaking down when his sentence was handed down.
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 tomorrow launch an appeal against his sentence at Swansea Crown Court.
The hearing, which is expected to last at least one hour, will go before High Court judge Justice Wyn Williams.