Killer tycoon Nicholas Hoogstraten will be freed if prosecutors do not contest an appeal, his solicitor said.

If they do, a bail application will be lodged and the Sussex property magnate could still be released, according to Giovanni di Stefano.

Mr di Stefano insisted he had never seen such clear evidence for appealing and it was unlikely it could be fought.

He was convinced Hoogstraten's manslaughter conviction would be overturned.

Earlier this month, the millionaire landlord was granted leave to appeal after being found guilty of the unlawful killing of Mohammed Raja.

An Old Bailey jury decided Mr Raja died at the hands of two men sent by Hoogstraten but that he had not ordered them to harm the grandfather.

Hoogstraten's legal team claims the jury was misdirected.

Mr di Stefano said he was now waiting to see whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would contest the action.

He said: "The grounds for appeal that have now been received are probably the most powerful I have ever seen in 20 years of international practice."

Mr di Stefano's firm Studio Legale Internazionale has previously represented Serbian warlord Arkan, dictator Slobodan Milsoevic and Kenneth Noye, once Britain's most-wanted man.

A spokeswoman for the CPS was unable to confirm whether Hoogstraten's appeal would be fought.

She said: "It could take anything from a week to a number of months to decide."