A second appeal was put in motion and on 25 September 2003 Lawal's sentence of death by stoning for adultery was overturned by a five-judge panel of Katsina State Sharia Court of Appeal. Four of the five judges ruled that the conviction violated Islamic law on a number of points, which included: the defendant's right to proper legal defence was not ensured; the circumstantial evidence of her pregnancy was not sufficient; the confession of the accused was not valid; and only one instead of the required three judges was present at the time of conviction.