Nathaniel Veltman intends to file a notice of appeal with the defendant on the day of sentencing

Nathaniel Weltman, who was convicted of killing a Muslim family in London, Ont., has filed an appeal against his convictions in an attempt to overturn a jury's verdict.

Filing a notice of appeal is the first necessary step in starting an appeal.

According to a court document obtained by OMNI News, Veltman says he intended to hand-deliver a notice of appeal to the defendant on the day of sentencing, but was unable to because of the prison transfer.

In February, Judge Afzaal ruled that Veltman's killing of four family members was an act of terrorism and sentenced Veltman to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years.

Veltman was also sentenced to life in prison in 2021 for the attempted murder of a child who survived the London attack.

In his appeal, Veltman argues that the conviction was unreasonable and against the weight of the evidence. He said that the sentence for attempted murder in this case was harsh and excessive.

The 23-year-old was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in November after hitting the Afzaal family with a truck while they were out for a walk.

Forty-six-year-old Salman Afzaal; his wife of 44 years, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter Yumna; and his 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed in the attack. The couple's nine-year-old son was seriously injured but survived.

With Canadian Press files