A court date has been set for a retrial of the Qatari man found guilty of killing a West Malling teacher.

Lauren Patterson, whose family home was in Leybourne Chase, was 24 when she went missing in 2013 following a night out in the Qatar, where she had been teaching English at a primary school.

Her badly burned body was found in a remote part of the desert, and a knife found lodged in her rib cage.

Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah al-Jabr was found guilty of her murder the following March and sentenced to death, despite maintaining Lauren had died accidentally.

Another man, Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz, was sentenced to three years in prison for helping the killer to dispose of Lauren’s body by burning it, as well as damaging and getting rid of other evidence.

But in February, Qatar’s court of appeal agreed to grant al-Jabr a retrial after throwing out his conviction.

It will be held on March 27.

Aziz’s request for an appeal was denied.

Lauren’s mum, Alison, said she was “shocked, sickened and disgusted” at the news.

Now the tragic teacher’s friends are urging people to put pressure on politicians to raise concerns over the decision.

Pal Miranda Cecil said: “I strongly urge anyone that has ever wished to help, read a post or whose eyes that have teared up over this horrific story to please help us.

“Help us to get justice for Lauren Patterson.

“Please send an email to a local MP, even if its to divert their attention to the story for five minutes.”

The prosecutor had told the court during the murder trial that after offering Lauren a lift home from a night club, al-Jabr took her to a house he used for sexual trysts with women, “conquered her body”, and killed her by stabbing her twice.

But the defence argued confessions obtained from the two men on trial were coerced.